Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms
by Hitokun
Summary: Alex Cabot and Casey Novak barely know each other, but that can change after a night of drinks and a broken arm. They both know that trying sex crimes in a court of law is full of shades of grey, but they find out that their own personal lives are more complex than their jobs would ever be. Alex x Casey
1. Chapter 1

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

"What am I doing here, Cabot?"

Casey squinted into the bright lights, making out a white ceiling until a blonde head appeared over her, blocking the brightness.

"I could be asking you the same thing, _Novak_." Alex smirked, moving out of Casey's view and letting the white lights blind her again.

Sitting up gingerly, Casey squinted, wondering why her left temple was throbbing, why her surroundings smelled so sterile, and why she couldn't remember what happened over the past few hours. She struggled to get up, feeling dizzy. A firm hand was on the small of her back, helping her sit up.

"Take it easy. You took quite a tumble earlier…"

Casey clenched her teeth, a hand to her aching forehead. She jumped at the sharp jolt of pain, feeling the wad of bandages, damp. She took her hand away, eyes narrowing at the sight of blood on her fingertips. "What…"

"Casey, hey. Lean back. That's what the hospital bed's for after all." Alex eased the girl back and felt relief when Casey's facial features relaxed. "You got four stitches but the doctor cleared you earlier for any major problems. He said you'll probably have a headache for the better part of the weekend."

For a second, Casey just lay there, the spinning receding, the room finally staying still. She saw the drawn curtain, the hospital machinery at her side, and Alex Cabot, now occupying the foot of her bed. Casey's eyes stayed on Cabot, her mind doing a mental check, and found it didn't match what she usually saw. The blonde assistant district attorney was dishevelled, her blouse untucked, her pantyhose ripped, and worst of all, a white cast extended from her forearm and encased her left hand.

"Alex, what happened?" Casey tried to sit up again, but the room started to spin, feeling her stomach starting to churn. Alex stood up, and gently eased Casey back down with her good hand.

"Casey, don't worry about me. It's not a big deal. I'm right handed." Alex smiled weakly, adjusting her glasses. There was a fine crack in the left lens, but Casey could still see the woman's ice blue eyes as clear as day.

"I love how you see broken bones as no big deal, Cabot." Casey closed her eyes briefly, letting the pounding subside. "I'm so sorry about this. I don't even remember what happened." Casey wracked her brain for memories, but everything was a blur.

"All you need to know is that it was an accident. We were both at my apartment and I was sending you home when-"

Casey interjected with all the strength she could muster. "Wait. We were at your apartment? How did we get there?" The prosecutor furrowed her brows, but images flooded her and came back in fragments. They were almost dream-like, surreal. She remembered the elevator, the drunken whispers, and...Alex's supple lips.

Alex looked away. "I propositioned you…and you took me up on my offer."

It took Casey a few moments to paste Alex's words and her blurry 'memories' together. She blushed, feeling flustered. "I-I…I don't know what happened."

"It was all my fault. I made an ass out of both of us. If it weren't for me, we probably wouldn't be at the ER on a Friday night." Alex smirked, reaching out and laying her hand atop Casey's as she tried to reassure her.

The redhead resisted the urge to flinch at the feel of Alex's smooth fingers on the back of her hand. It was one thing to wake up at the ER with a head injury, but it was another to wake up finding out that she had engaged in an illicit sexual relationship with Alexandra Cabot. In an alcohol induced stupor nonetheless. She wondered how far things went along.

Suddenly, she was curious.

"And…if we weren't at the hospital, where would we be, Alex?"

"Well, you would probably be in a taxi on your way home, and me...I would be on my couch, watching CNN with a bottle of wine. You did let me down pretty harshly." Alex wore an unreadable expression, twirling a lock of blonde around her finger as she offered Casey a neutral smile, masking any emotion.

Casey made a face. Let her down? But she distinctly remember what they did. It was nothing short of her throwing herself at the gorgeous woman.

Or was that a dream?

"Stop straining yourself. The doctor said your headache would worsen with stress."

Ignoring the prosecutor's comment, Casey made that face again. "So, what happened between us?"

Alex sighed, shaking her head, but kept a smile on her face. "Nothing, Casey. Nothing at all. We had gotten to my place, but after a while, you burst into tears."

The redhead was skeptical. "Third base?"

The blonde chuckled. "More like second. Clothes stayed on, no hands in inappropriate places. Nothing happened like I said."

"And why was I crying?" Casey felt like cross-examining her companion, wondering how much of it was the truth. Sure, she had the occasional crying fit when she was drunk, but was she drunk enough to let Alex take her to bed? The facts fit. She certainly wasn't accusing her fellow ADA of rape, but she simply wanted to know whether or not she had sex with Alex Cabot.

Casey blushed at the thought.

"I wouldn't really know why you were crying, but I think it had to do with your suspension and all the stress at work. You blamed me and thought what I did tonight was just another way to demean you. After your...outburst, I felt bad, so I invited you out for a cup of coffee to talk about everything." Alex knew where Casey was coming from, knowing how it felt to lose everything. She knew a three year censure wasn't exactly the same as witness protection, but she and Casey were the same kind of person. They were both married to their jobs. Law was all they knew in their lives.

"Alex…" Casey watched Alex's expression, wondering how the woman in front of her could be the same hostile bitch that everyone at the DA's office feared and respected. She did like this Alex a little bit better.

"I'm sorry about everything, Casey. I knew you had too much to drink. I shouldn't have pushed you. I should have done the right thing and made sure you got home safely." Alex shifted in her chair, taking her glasses off as she massaged her nose bridge. She felt a headache coming on. Alcohol induced? Guilt induced? Alex wasn't sure.

Again, the newly reinstated ADA watched Alex. She was perplexed. "Are you sure nothing happened? You seem to have an obvious guilty conscience, counselor." Casey prodded, but without malicious intent.

"I do feel guilty. It was a momentary lapse in judgement. I completely embarrassed myself in front of you. I coerced you into all this and I don't even think you like me." Alex sighed again, exasperated.

Casey did like her. Maybe more than both women knew. "You keep saying that you pushed me, coerced me...Alex, that's not true. I'm sure was I was sober when I got into that taxi with you. It's not like I don't know how to say no. After all, we both prosecute sex crimes, don't we?" Casey smirked, finally feeling better to know that Alex Cabot was indeed human.

"Casey...I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

Casey arched an eyebrow. "You mean you weren't trying to seduce me or ruin our professional relationship?"

"I was. I-I mean. Not in those words exactly, but something along those lines." Alex groaned, thinking of a better way to rephrase while Casey looked on in amusement, a smug grin on her face. It wasn't every day that she got to see the great prosecutor at a loss for words.

"I like you, Casey. I never meant for all of this to happen. I took an interest in you and I...went with it. We have a lot in common and it's refreshing to finally find someone who understands what we do for a living." Alex stared into Casey's striking green eyes, pleading with the woman to hear her out.

"What are you asking me to do, Alex?" Casey chose her words carefully, trying to hide the excitement she felt at having elicited something short of a love confession from Alex, her rival, her mentor, her supervisor.

"Nothing that you would be uncomfortable with."

Casey contemplated that answer, knowing that it was open ended enough to mean anything. Alex was always skilled at choosing the right things to say.

"Let's have dinner next Friday night."

Casey mentally berated herself, wondering how her brain had jumped into that without any segway.

Alex blinked, confused, wondering if Casey had hit her head harder than the doctors had thought.

"You heard me, counselor. It wasn't a question. We're going to have a normal dinner and then...maybe I'll be more sure of what's going on after I have some time to think about it." Casey flashed Alex a wry grin, waiting for a reply.

"That seems to be the best decision you've made all night with a rather logical explanation." Alex returned the grin.

"That's what you think, Ms. Cabot, but I would beg to differ. I think the best choice I made tonight was when I let you buy me a ridiculous number of drinks."

Alex stifled a laugh, a smile spreading across her lips. "You're right. Now let's get you discharged. The doctor said if you woke up and was able to have a coherent conversation with me, you'd be alright." Alex moved to help Casey up. "I do have an early morning tomorrow and only God knows how long it'll take for me to unbutton and button my shirt."

Casey laughed, sitting up slowly as she reached out to Alex for support. "I'd offer to help you unbutton your shirt, but I'm afraid it'll come out sounding like innuendo."

"I'll take you up on your offer and agree to ignore the innuendo." The blonde pulled Casey up. "After all, I think you owe me after pulling me down the stairs with you…" Alex whispered the last part under her breath, not expecting the dazed prosecutor to hear her.

"Oh my God. It was my fault." Shock registered on Casey's face and she vaguely recalled reaching out in desperation as she lost her balance on the stairs. If her broken memories served her correctly, they tumbled down half a flight of stairs. Casey felt the guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"How's this? I'll forgive you if you become my personal slave for a week." With a smug grin, Alex helped Casey to her feet and into her shoes.

The guilt dissipated from Casey's expression at that. "For a second, I almost felt bad." Casey said as she rolled her eyes.

Unsteady on her feet, the younger woman leaned on Alex for support. Casey grasped the blonde's good arm, feeling juvenile with her heart racing from just touching her. "Your offer almost sounded appealing though. I must still be drunk..." Casey cast a sidelong glance at Alex. The gentle expression on the lawyer's face made her melt.

It seemed like a lot of things about Alex were just so alluring, but she refused to feed the woman's ego with these thoughts.

"Alright, let's get you out of here. I'll call you a cab and I'll cover your fare too." Alex supported Casey with a steady hand.

"Wait, Alex."

"What's wrong?" Alex stopped and Casey was surprised at how easily she could read the concern on the woman's face.

"I…" Casey closed her eyes, taking a breath before she continued. "I didn't say no to coming over to help you out. Only if you were serious about that."

Alex was speechless, swallowing hard and trying to hide her surprise. Emotions were never her strong suit and her poker face was undoubtedly the best, but at the moment, Alex was flustered, taken aback, and intrigued.

"What? Were you joking about that?" Casey let out an exasperated laugh. "Boy, do I feel embarr-"

"No." Alex fixed her gaze on Casey. "I want you there."

They stared at each other, communicating through their eyes.

"I'm not expecting anything, Casey."

They shared a moment of understanding.

There were no more words between them after that. Casey filled out the appropriate paperwork and in minutes, the two prosecutors were in a taxi on the way to Alex's brownstone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wrote this one last year, but never had a chance to post it. One of my greatest loves. SVU was so good in the earlier season and Alex was certainly my favorite character, justice incarnate. A cold hearted bitch, but she still got things done.

Hope you all enjoyed this.

This is officially my first non-anime fanfiction that I've posted :)

Drop a review if you liked it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part II -**

* * *

A knock came at the door.

"Alex!"

There was no answer and Detective Olivia Benson continued to knock.

"Alex! Alex Cabot! It's 10 already."

Three more raps sounded.

"Alex! You never showed up for breakfast today."

Sighing, Olivia dialed the counselor's number again, feeling genuine worry start to bubble up in the pit of her stomach.

Alex Cabot stirred under the covers of her queen sized bed, shutting her eyes tightly to block out the sunlight.

"Mmmm…" The blonde shifted, her bulky cast an unusual weight on her arm.

Despite the shooting pain in her wrist and the tenderness of the bruises on her body, Alex felt like she had just woken up from a restful sleep, which she didn't think was possible even before WPP.

The blonde attorney had a placated smiled on her face, feeling the soft covers on her bare skin, the warmth of the sun on her body, the hands of one Casey Novak wrapped around her waist, the woman's lithe body pressed against her back.

"Alex…"

Alex smiled, feeling Casey's words tickle the bare skin on her shoulder. The warmth was comforting, Casey's presence put her at ease. It was the first time that the morning after wasn't associated with the feeling of shame or guilt.

"Someone's knocking on your door, Alex…" Casey mumbled, tightening her hold on the attorney, holding fistfuls of Alex's camisole in her hands.

"That's not my problem, Casey. It's my day off."

It was as if all the worries in her mind had floated away. She wasn't SVU's star ADA today. It was Saturday, her day off, her day to finally realize that life wasn't all about rapists, child molesters, and pedophiles. It was the first time in years that she had slept in. Usually, she would wake up at the crack of dawn to go jogging, practice her closing arguments for the week, or even just watch CNN.

She knew her life was boring, but there was nothing else she wanted to spend time doing. Until now.

Turning around, Alex stared at the woman with her red hair splayed out on her pillow. The younger prosecutor's fair skin glistened in the sunlight and she stirred as Alex changed positions.

"Casey, Thank you."

Casey's green eyes peeked out from under her heavy eyelids, meeting Alex's ice blue ones. They shared a mutual smile.

"What for, Alex?"

Alex's smile spread as she propped herself up on her right elbow, awkwardly smoothing her hair back with her hand in a cast.

"For staying, for being here." The older ADA smiled again.

"I hope your arguments in court are more elaborate than that, counselor."

"I don't know if it's appropriate to elaborate on how much I enjoyed not having sexual intercourse with you, Casey." Alex laughed, feeling silly for even thinking of saying those words.

"It's a nice break from sex crimes, Alex."

"Were you expecting me to commit some sort of crime last night?" Alex raised an eyebrow, curious about the mixed signals she was getting from the feisty redhead. She received no reply in return, but simply a wry smile from the younger girl.

Moving to throw the covers off, Alex swung her legs over the side of her bed, her long legs exposed, not so modest boyshorts clothed her lower half.

"You up for coffee? I'll make us a fresh pot." Alex grabbed her cracked glasses and her phone from the dresser beside the bed, making her way across the room.

There was a pause between them and Casey sat herself up. Alex's loaner T-shirt was loose fitting, exposing Casey's fair skin, the smooth line of her collarbone. The blonde couldn't help but have her eyes drawn to the expanse of bare skin before her. The redhead rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Stop being so nice to me, Ms. Cabot. You're almost making me regret not sleeping with you."

"I'm sure we can fix that if you really wanted to, Casey" Alex teased, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Casey laughed, glad that she had followed Alex home last night. Sleep never came easy to her, Alex seemed to be the perfect drug for her insomnia. "Coffee sounds good, but are you going to get that door before it gets broken down? I swear that whoever it is has been there for at least ten minutes."

"Fine. I'll check it out. You can relax and enjoy the confines of my bed for a few more minutes."

In response, Casey waved Alex off, diving back beneath the covers.

Shaking her head as she scoffed, Alex put on her glasses and made her way to the kitchen. The coffee maker was up and running in seconds, permeating the air with the scent of a luscious dark roast. Rummaging through her cupboard, Alex looked for some coffee mugs. At the same time, she idly checked her phone.

 _Alex, are you okay?_

 _I hope you're just running late._

 _Alex, I'm going to drop by your place if you don't show up in the next ten minutes._

 _I'm pretty sure you're home, Alex._

 _Answer the door._

She nearly dropped the cups when she saw the messages, the missed calls… "Oh, shit…"

"Alex! Alex, are you there? I swear I can hear you making coffee…"

Sighing and setting the mugs down beside the coffee pot, the blonde attorney couldn't help but notice a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had completely forgotten about breakfast with Olivia.

Trudging across the room and to the door of her apartment, Alex took a deep breath before she opened the door cautiously.

As the door swung open, there stood Detective Olivia Benson, a mixture of relief and not-amused on her face.

"Alex! Did I miss a memo or something? I thought we agreed to meet for nine. It's not like you to be…" The detective quickly glanced at her watch. "Nearly two hours late…"

Opening the door wider, Alex smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's a long story, Liv. I'm so sorry."

However, once the door opened enough, Olivia's eyes widened as she filled in the blanks.

"Oh my God. Your arm. What happened? Are you alright? Were you attacked?" Olivia stepped in past the threshold, reaching out and grabbing the blonde by the elbow. The brunette seemed to be inspecting the cast, aghast at the fact that a cast looked so wrong on the graceful Alex Cabot.

Alex raised an eyebrow at the comment about a potential attack. "Olivia, it wasn't anything serious. I just fell down the stairs."

"Are you sure about that? I've never known you to be so clumsy. If there's anything at all that I can help you with…"

Alex knew what Olivia was thinking.

"Accidents happen, Liv."

The two women stared off, with Olivia trying to peer into Alex's soul, wondering how likely it was that Alex was hiding an abusive boyfriend or a violent date from her. After good ten seconds, the detective backed down, coming to realize that her friend was one of the strongest women she knew, and coming back from witness protection hadn't changed that.

"I guess they do, Alex. I'm just glad you're alright. You told me you were going on a date last night and when you didn't show up this morning, I just jumped to conclusions. Working at SVU doesn't really help with being positive."

"I hear you. Thanks for your concern, Liv. I really appreciate it and I'm sorry I stood you up for breakfast. It just slipped my mind after what happened last night."

The two women were still standing in the doorway. Alex was reluctant to let Olivia come in, but she could feel that the detective wanted to talk about what happened to her. She didn't forget about the snoozing coworker lying in her bed.

"I'm also doubly glad you didn't come home with some sleazebag. First dates in a bar never really go well and I know alcohol doesn't help much with decision making." Olivia grinned, hanging her thumbs through her belt holes

Alex tried hard to act normally, but her facial muscles refused to cooperate today. Her attempt at a smile ended up looking like a grimace.

Suddenly, a voice rounded the corner and wafted down the front foyer.

"Alex, you alright? Who was that at the door?"

A redheaded prosecutor followed suit, her hair tousled as she held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. "I can't find the sug-" By the time she looked up, it was too late for her to retreat back into the kitchen.

Alex swallowed her anxiety, glancing at Casey, who stood there with her mouth open in shock, and then back to Olivia, who was in the middle of some kind of comatose moment.

" _Shit."_ Casey swore under her breath as she walked over to Olivia. She needed to explain herself. "Olivia, I know what this looks like, but it's really not what it looks like."

Both Alex and the redhead internally winced at how those words came out. It was an admission of guilt, but...not an admission of guilt.

Olivia wasn't quite in tune with what Casey was saying, more focused on the fact that the ADA was wearing clothes that belonged to the blonde woman standing between them. Olivia only knew because Alex Cabot only owned one pair of sweatpants in her closet, and those were the ones that Casey Novak had on, the Harvard university logo emblazoned down the leg of the pants.

It wasn't hard to infer what had gone on. It wasn't a closed room murder mystery for the decorated detective.

Dishevelled hair, coffee, and Alex Cabot's clothes on Casey Novak did not mean a pajama party.

Detective Benson finally snapped out of her stupor. "Casey...What a surprise to see you here!"

"Same here, Olivia…" Casey paled, wondering if Olivia was some kind of jealous ex that Alex failed to warn her about.

At that, the pleasantries came to a halt. The awkward silence was so thick that Alex felt like she was suffocating. It was unusual to say the least for the three articulate women to be rendered speechless

She was a lawyer after all. Her specialty was convincing a jury to lock people up for an indefinite amount of time. How hard would it be to convince one of her best friends to believe that she wasn't sleeping with Casey? Well, she was sleeping with Casey, but it wasn't like she was s _leeping_ with Casey.

Technicalities.

"Are you into women, Alex?"

If Alex were drinking coffee, she would have spit it out right that instant. In the ten years she knew Olivia Benson, the detective had never been so blunt with her.

Casey, watching the interaction between the two women, blushed. She felt a strange wave of relief overcome her as she realized that Olivia was as oblivious as she was last night.

"It's not what you think, Olivia. We were both at the hospital last night and I guess we didn't feel like being alone after."

Olivia raised a curious eyebrow.

If Casey were in the position to raise her eyebrow skeptically, she would have. Alex had played the ambiguity card, the make-your-statement-as-vague-as-possible game.

Still gripping the coffee mug, Casey shrugged. "I really don't see how you could think Alex is...like that. I slept on the couch, Liv."

"I wasn't implying anything, counselor." Olivia smirked, knowing that she had hit a nerve. The two prosecutors were on edge, playing defense. She knew there must have been something going on between the two. After all, they were all grown women here. Sharing a bed didn't automatically equate to being lesbians. Casey's statement was obviously compensating for something...

"How about we all grab some brunch. I'm really sorry about what happened, Olivia. We were at the hospital until almost 4 in the morning."

"Alex, it's not your fault and it's okay." Olivia smiled, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. I think both of you are going to need some rest. Casey's stitches still look pretty fresh there." The detective motioned to her own head, making a gesture that made Casey's wound tingle.

Casey offered a weak smile for the concern.

"Raincheck then, Liv?" Alex pushed her glasses up, her tone hopeful.

"Of course, Alex. Anytime. You know where I work." Olivia stepped back, waving as she made her way out. "See you, Casey. Hope you two heal up enough for the work week."

Once the door shut, the two lawyers let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"Well, Ms. Novak, I believe that I need to work on my lying."

"I think I do too. Maybe a career as a defense attorney would help with that, Ms. Cabot."Casey chuckled, mentally berating herself for how incoherent she was today.

Alex smirked, shaking her head as she shooed Casey back into the kitchen. "Enough of that now, Ms. Novak. We're going to get to know each other over a nice brunch to make up for last night. No more talk of going to the darkside now..."

"I have no objections, Ms. Cabot." Casey was beyond elated, mildly intrigued by how comfortable she felt with the other lawyer.

* * *

 **A/N:** As per usual, drop me a review if you liked it! Might consider finishing this if enough people want to read what's next :)

(Again, I do have commitment issues with writing, so take my words with a grain of salt :P )


	3. Chapter 3

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part III-**

* * *

Alex sipped her glass of wine, swirling the dark red liquid absently as she stared out into the restaurant. It was a surprisingly slow dinner rush, strange for a Friday evening. The waiters had time to dawdle, the tables only half filled. It reminded her much of her own day, which was busy, but at the same time, still allowed her to have lunch with Casey. Their lunch date was impulsive, and the looks that people gave her made her feel like she had gone completely insane. It definitely wasn't anyone else's business, so Alex had strolled into Casey's office with her usual confidence, demanding to have lunch with the redhead.

The office clerks wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it if the two were working the same cases, but it was common knowledge that both women had their dockets full with completely different criminals. Office gossip started circulating that very day, mostly about Casey and how it was hard to get away from prosecutorial misconduct once you got a taste for it.

It was an impulsive move and Alex felt bad about revving up the rumour train, but it had been too long since she had seen the redhead. It had been nearly two weeks since the E.R. incident and the Olivia incident and the two lawyers hadn't exchanged a proper conversation apart from brief exchanges in the hallways or between arraignments.

Their standing Friday night date, forgotten.

By no means were things awkward between them, but it was work. It was the overtime, the endless paperwork, and the stressful trials. Today was the first day in a long time that their evening wasn't spent at the DA's office.

The blonde glanced at the door again and down at her watch. She fidgeted with her cast, tapping the foot of her glass impatiently against the foreign material on her arm.

She was sure that _Casey_ would never stand her up like this.

Alex sighed, knowing that she wouldn't even be here if Casey wasn't held up in court. The blonde prosecutor had interrogated the redhead's assistant earlier to get all the details on Casey's schedule, but no matter how thorough Alex Cabot was with her investigation, she couldn't do anything if the prosecutor was held up in court. From the sounds of it, the younger attorney's trial was running late because of the defense's stall tactics. It couldn't be helped. Alex knew those kinds of things happened on a daily basis.

That resulted in Alex wandering aimlessly around the courthouse, eavesdropping through the doors of the courtroom, while trying to concoct a plan to 'accidentally' run into Casey once she finished.

Obviously, that didn't work out like Alex had intended. She looked more suspicious than anything and a court bailiff had even asked her if there was something wrong. It was after that the well-respected ADA finally came to her senses.

After all, she was here now, waiting at a restaurant for an old friend who had run into her in the courthouse. He had asked her out to dinner, saying he would meet her at their usual restaurant in 10 minutes.

Looking at her watch again, Alex let out another sigh. She knew she shouldn't have agreed. That impromptu dinner arrangement was made more than 30 minutes ago.

Alex Cabot wasn't one to wait around, especially not for-

"Alex!"

The prosecutor tensed up at the sound of her name. It wasn't who she was expecting. Her heart started to pound a little bit faster, feeling more anxious as the woman neared. There was instant regret. Alex mentally berated herself. She should have waited at the courthouse even if it made her look like a nervous wreck.

"Casey! What a surprise to see you here. I thought you were still tied up in court!" Alex fought to keep a calm smile on her face, looking up to see the redheaded prosecutor in front of her. Alex's mind was full of conflicting feelings. She was happy to see the other woman, but it was also a case of bad timing.

He was going to be here any minute. Alex knew it.

"I didn't know you were keeping tabs on me! The judge got fed up and finally adjourned for the day, so I was headed home…until I spotted you through the window." Casey laughed a little too nervously, gesturing to the large window just a few feet from Alex. "You were sitting alone, so I just popped in to see if I could keep you company."

"Casey, It's actually…I-" Alex started, trying to find the words, her face apologetic.

The younger attorney instantly got the hint, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as she realized that she wasn't going to have dinner with the blonde lawyer tonight. "Don't get me wrong, Alex. I wasn't expecting anything! I really did see you through the window just now." Casey laughed to lighten the mood, but it was getting heavy.

"I know it's not like that. I mean- I would love to have dinner with you. I was actually waiting, you see…for you…but it's… I'm just-I'm meeting someone here for dinner and-"

Casey chuckled at Alex's attempt to explain everything away. It was endearing to see the practiced prosecutor struggling to find the words to turn her down.

"I get it, Alex. There's no need to explain. My feelings don't get hurt that easily, you know?" Casey smirked, reaching over and placing a hand on Alex's shoulder before giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Alex gave Casey a small smile, relieved that at least one of them was adult enough to understand their situation.

Casey let her hand linger for a second longer before retracting it. The two shared a knowing look and they both opened their mouths at the same time to say something.

"Alex-"

"Casey-"

There was silence as they stared into each other's eyes. The understanding was mutual, a question hanging in the air. Suddenly, the atmosphere between them broke.

"Hey, Alex. Sorry to keep you waiting. I was stuck arguing for a continuance from Petrovsky."

The two women startled slightly, looking over at the new voice. It was a lanky man who sat down across from Alex, hurriedly shrugging off his peacoat as he set his briefcase down.

"Trevor, hey. It's not a problem. I wasn't waiting long." Alex glanced over at Casey nervously, wondering what was going through the redhead's mind at the moment. The blonde prosecutor caught the sight of something for a split second, an expression that spread across Casey's face. However, it was gone as quickly as it had appeared and Alex was left wondering if she imagined the jealousy she saw.

"Trevor? Trevor Langan?" Now, there was a slightly bemused look on Casey's face as she greeted the defense lawyer.

"Casey Novak." Being the gentleman he was, Trevor stood again, finally noticing Casey by the table. He smiled, extending his hand for a handshake. "It's been too long. Where have you been?"

Casey offered a neutral smile, accepting the handshake, but she could feel the bitterness well up inside her. "I just got back from a break, but I'm back working SVU again."

Questions about Casey's censure and rumored disbarment hung in the air, unspoken.

"That's great to hear. You're a good lawyer, Casey. If you're ever looking for an actual salary, my firm is hiring. We need passionate people like you." Almost seamlessly, Trevor whipped out a business card, _Henshall and Langan_ emblazoned on the front.

"Thanks…but I think I'm good with not screwing people out of their pension plans." The redhead stuffed the card in the pocket of her overcoat, smiling politely. "It's been good to see you Alex." Casey paused, looking at Alex before turning to the man, nodding. "Trevor."

"I'll see you around, Casey." Alex smiled stiffly, wanting desperately to explain that this wasn't what it seemed like. The blonde's deep blue eyes met Casey's gold ones, pleading with her. There was a flash of something that looked like disapproval in the redhead's eyes and Alex almost recoiled.

"Have fun on your date, counselor." Casey said it in a sing-song tone, but it was nothing but cold. The younger attorney parted after that, leaving the table in silence.

Alex was still staring after Casey who walked out of the restaurant, her gaze lingering for far too long for it to be just platonic.

Alex recovered in record time, wanting to momentarily forget about Casey. "So, Trevor, I assume dinner's going on your company card, but let's cut to the chase."

As Trevor sat down again, he noticed the hint of guilt on the blonde's face. He put two and two together instantly. Alex just made it too easy for him.

The defense attorney let out the grin he was suppressing, ignoring Alex's request as he leaned in close to Alex. He whispered, "You're sleeping with her, aren't you?"

Alex rolled her eyes, scoffing. "It's none of your business." She took another sip of her glass, her mind filled with thoughts of calling Casey later tonight to explain the situation.

"Ouch. That was cold, Ms. Cabot. But I think it's going to be my business if my date for the governor's ball is rumored to be a closeted lesbian." Again, the defense attorney grinned, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Then I guess you'll have to find someone else to be your beard, _Mr. Langan_." Alex shot the man a glare, rolling her eyes again.

"Aw, c'mon, Alex. I was just pulling your chain. You know how hard it is to find a date that you don't have to pretend to be interested in." The brunette laughed, wondering if he had pushed his friend too far. Alex stayed silent, her attention on her near empty glass of wine. "Please? I'm sorry about what I said. How about for old time's sake?" Trevor looked into Alex's eyes, pleading.

Alex felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips as she raised an eyebrow at the man's uncharacteristically humble words. It was almost strange to go about this so normally, but it used to be a business arrangement for them both. After taking another second to ponder her thoughts, Alex shook her head, sighing. "I get where you're coming from, but Trevor…how many years has it been?"

Trevor looked up, thinking to himself. "Well, it's been three years since you got tied up in that WPP fiasco, so I've been single ever since."

"You know that's not what I meant." Alex couldn't help but grin. Had it really been that long ago?

The prosecutor shook the smile off, regaining her senses as she added, "We need to stop doing this. It's not going to benefit either of us in the future. I'm sure the truth is going to come out and bite us in the ass eventually." At that, Alex downed the rest of her wine, deep in thought. She knew she was being hypocritical, but she just couldn't stop thinking about Casey.

"Wow, Cabot. And I thought you were the biggest political bisexual of them all. I didn't know you were into fiery redheads though." Trevor paused, raising his eyebrows in genuine shock. After a few seconds, he hunched over again as he lowered his tone. "I guess you really do like her, don't you?"

Without answering immediately, Alex sighed, flagging down a waiter so they could get dinner over with.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

She definitely needed another glass of wine too.

* * *

Casey felt a long sigh escape her lips as she let the hot water wash over her. It had just been one of those days, one of those days where she felt extra…dirty. Even though it had only been a few months back on the job, some cases always hit her the same way. The redhead had tried to numb herself over the years, but in a way, she missed how emotionally taxing prosecuting sex crimes was. She came to appreciate that an emotionally taxing job was always better than no job.

Going through the motions, washing her hair, Casey let her thoughts drift off, wondering how her day could be such a rollercoaster. Her lunch with Alex had been the highlight of her week, but the run-in with Langan was more than just a surprise.

It was old office gossip, but seeing them together tonight confirmed her suspicions.

Casey was still working white collar when she heard the stories. Alex Cabot was somewhat of a celebrity at the DA's office and Langan's firm was one of the biggest in Manhattan. Rumours about those two spread like wildfire after they attended a few social functions together.

The redhead wrinkled her nose in disgust, thrusting her face under the shower head, trying to distract herself from her thoughts and her feelings. She was just being naïve.

It wasn't like she and Alex were exclusive.

Casey turned off the faucet, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapping it around herself before walking out into her bedroom. The chill of the temperature difference hit her. She shivered and drew the towel closer.

It wasn't like there was even anything between her and Alex. They weren't sleeping together.

Sighing again, Casey threw the towel onto her bed, quickly pulling on an over-sized t-shirt and her own Harvard sweatpants from the closet. Pausing in front of her full-length mirror, Casey scrutinized her well-worn pants. The lettering down the leg of the garment was cracked, peeling. It was different from Alex's, which were next to new. The redhead was sure that Alex was never really a sweatpants kinda gal. Casey smiled at the strange sense of reassurance that gave her.

' _Bzt bzt'_

The young prosecutor looked over at her dresser, her phone lighting up from the text message she had just received. She picked up the phone, unlocking the screen. Her eyes widened suddenly.

 _3 missed calls – Alex Cabot_

 _5 new messages – Alex Cabot_

Casey swallowed, her heart feeling heavy. She kept scrolling, opening the messages she had missed while she was busy contemplating her day in the shower.

' _Casey, can we talk?'_

' _Are you busy tonight?'_

' _Just give me a call if you're up for it.'_

' _I know I'm going to regret this, but…I'm outside your building, Casey.'_

' _I hope you have a good night. Sorry for sounding crazy. I'll see you Monday.'_

The young lawyer glanced at the second last timestamp – _9:24 P.M._

"Shit." Casey swore under her breath. It was almost 10 P.M.

The attorney felt her heart pound as she ran out of the room. In a panic, the redhead nearly tripped on her hallway rug, but steadied herself with a determination to meet the other ADA without involving any broken bones this time. Grabbing her keys off the kitchen table, Casey slipped a pair of old sneakers on, dashing out of her unit.

The elevator ride down from the seventh floor was a long one, and Casey desperately typed out a reply, hoping that Alex was still there.

' _Sorry. I just checked my messages. I'm coming out right now.'_

"Oh god…please send. Please send…" Casey tapped her foot impatiently, watching her cell service bars flicker feebly between three…two…no service. "Shit." Groaning in exasperation, Casey settled on waiting for the elevator, watching the red numbers decrease.

With the 'ding' of the doors signalling her arrival on the ground floor, Casey bolted out of the elevator and dashed through the lobby. This put a look of confusion on the doorman's face. It wasn't every day that he saw the secluded Harvard lawyer from 78B run out of the apartment in her pajamas, her red hair wet and disheveled. Then again, he wasn't even sure that was Casey Novak. Tonight's Casey was quite a difference from her regular pant suits, occasional skirts, or even jogging gear. The doorman peered intently out the front doors, wondering what could have happened to make the redhead break character. As an after thought, he also wondered if she was alright.

The cool fall air hit Casey square in the face as she cleared the foyer and breached the front doors. Her eyes darted around frantically, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of blonde, but there was nothing.

Her heart sank.

Now she was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Assumptions of the history between Alex and Langan still buzzed in her mind. The chance encounter tonight made her wonder if Alex was truly interested in her. All the signals pointed to yes, but she could just be delusional about the attention she got from the gorgeous Alexandra Cabot.

After all, she was just Casey Novak, the Harvard prosecutor who almost got disbarred for a stupid Brady violation.

That was her. That was all anyone ever associated with her name now. Casey wasn't sure if Alex really was able to look past the censure.

After all, if anyone could measure up to the great Alex Cabot, it wouldn't be her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Another update! FYI, didn't cave because of all the reviews I got or anything... :P

I'm in the middle of exam season right now, so fair warning:

No matter how many reviews I get, I swear not to write until my soul draining exams are over :)

I finish on Dec 9th, so don't expect anything until after then:P

As usual, leave a review if you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken Arms**

* * *

 **-Part IV-**

* * *

' _Bzt Bzt'_

Casey stopped in her tracks, hearing the vibration of a cell phone. She didn't feel the buzzing. It wasn't hers, was it?

She looked down at her own hand, the screen still on the text message she tried to send.

 _-Message sent-_

The realization hit her as she walked further out in front of the building. She jogged down the steps, peering around the corners until-

"Casey!"

Casey couldn't help but feel a wave of relief overcome her as she turned to come face to face with Alex. The blonde lawyer was bundled up, the collar of her long black coat and white silk scarf were drawn up close to her. Her nose was pink red from the exposure, her cheeks rosy from the cold as well.

"I'm so glad I waited this time." Alex smiled as she said this, more for herself than for the redhead to hear.

Casey didn't quite get the again part, but dismissed it, launching right into her apology.

"Alex, I'm so sorry. I was in the shower and I didn't check my phone. I hope you weren't waiting long. I wasn't trying to ignore you, I swear. It's just been a long day and I saw you with Trevor and I just…I didn't know what to think."

Alex watched the other woman in amusement, not really focusing on the words coming out of the lawyer's mouth, but thinking more about how kissable the ADA's lips looked.

"I know I sound like a whiny little bi-"

The redhead was suddenly cut off as she felt one of Alex's leather gloves cup her cheeks, drawing her in close as their lips met. Casey's eyes were wide at first, but she kissed the attorney back. She melted into the kiss, indulging herself in how the older lawyer tasted, a mix of vanilla, chocolate, and unmistakably, red wine.

The two ADAs parted after a few minutes, Casey finally becoming conscious of what they were doing and where they were doing it. Granted, it was late and dark out, but they were still in public and she was sure her doorman got a free show just now.

Casey was suddenly feeling self-conscious.

The redhead shivered, hugging herself to keep warm. Alex noticed this, breaking their momentary lapse of silence.

"I think we need to talk. Is it alright if I come up?" Alex's piercing blue eyes sent shivers down Casey's spine, but then again, that could have been attributed to the fact that the redheaded lawyer was standing outside clad just in a damp T-shirt and baggy sweat pants.

"Yeah, of course. I have an arraignment in the morning, but-" Casey already had her key fob out against the sensor, unlocking the front door.

"I just want to talk. It won't take long." Alex paused slightly, wondering if she said that to convince herself or Casey.

The younger lawyer looked back, arching her eyebrow, replying, "I don't know whether or not to feel disappointed to hear that you don't have any ulterior motives, Cabot."

Alex laughed, following Casey in. "Then I'm glad to say that that's for me to know and for you to find out, Novak."

"Don't get my hopes up, counselor." Casey grinned, glad to see that things were more than normal between them. This relief was short lived as the two attorneys crossed the expanse of the lobby, feeling the eyes of doorman trained on them.

The elevator ride was quiet and uneventful, but there was a strange atmosphere in the air. As the tension mounted, the two ADAs became fully aware that talking was probably one of the last things on their agenda tonight.

Once the door to Casey's apartment shut behind the two women, Alex's briefcase hit the floor with a loud thud.

Casey spun around at the sound, but she was stopped in her tracks. Alex had come after her again, relentless, the taste of alcohol on her breath seemingly stronger than before. It was useless for the redhead to resist. She couldn't, wouldn't and had no reason to turn down the offer. This was all she could think about for the whole week, dreams of Alex haunting her.

Alex's black peacoat hit the ground next and the two women were engaged in a heated liplock. Casey was pushed back, but she grabbed a fistful of Alex's crisp dress shirt with one hand, pulling the taller woman flush against her. With her other hand, Casey entangled her fingers in Alex's blonde locks, bringing them even closer still.

The blonde wanted so badly to strip away the clothing that came between them, but she groaned mentally as her bulky cast grazed the redhead's side as she tried to pull Casey's top over her head. Leaving the undressing for later, the taller woman asserted her dominance, kissing Casey more forcefully, more desperately. Alex almost smirked when a moan escaped the other lawyer's lips. Alex took that chance to slip her tongue into Casey's mouth, eliciting more sounds that made the blonde shiver with pleasure.

Alex continued, her good hand creeping up beneath the younger woman's thin top, caressing the soft skin she loved against her own. Her hand inched higher, fingers running along the side of Casey's bare chest. It was as if the older prosecutor was apprehensive, testing the waters before she cupped the redhead's breast, running her thumb over her nipple.

Casey moaned into blonde's mouth, loving the feeling of Alex against her.

However, as Casey took a step backwards, she hit the arm of her three-seater, the back of her knees pushed right against it. The redhead struggled to keep her balance, but Alex was too engrossed in devouring the overwhelmed young woman to notice the predicament ahead of them.

"W-wait! Alex!"

Casey still had her own hands entangled in Alex's shirt, her hair, leaving the woman at a loss. Alex's eyes shot wide open as she felt her center of gravity shift. The two women parted, albeit involuntarily, and with a muffled thud, landed on top of each other on the redhead's grey couch.

"Ouch!" Casey had her face pressed awkwardly into the upholstery of the seat, Alex's weight completely spread out on her body. The blonde's head was flush against Casey's collarbone and the side of her face, making the position uncomfortable for both of them.

With only one good arm, Alex struggled to regain her upright position. It was difficult to say the least, making the ADA regret not having adequate upper body strength. "Sorry, Casey! Just give me a second here."

With a grunt of exertion, Alex finally pushed herself up off the younger woman, her shoulder sore. She had re-positioned herself, shifting the majority of her weight to her knees. Her tight black pencil skirt was starting to ride up, exposing the edge of what Casey could see were matching black lace panties. With both of them on the couch, the blonde was now effectively straddling Casey, her knees on either side of the other woman's legs. For a few seconds, Alex stared down at Casey, who let out a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted off her chest. The redhead still had her head turned to the side, her eyes focused on something that wasn't Alex.

"Casey?" Alex had regained her composure now, but her cheeks were still hot, flushed, her breathing still heavy from their recent escapades.

There was a momentary lapse of silence before Casey burst into laughter.

The younger ADA could barely hold in her chuckling, leaving Alex to wonder if Casey had hit her head somehow.

"I-I'm so sorry, Alex. I know this really isn't the time, but I just can't help it!" Casey had a small smile on her lips, frustrated, but comfortable with Alex's warmth surrounding her. "It's more like a dream that I'm here with you like this and sometimes…when these little mishaps happen, it just brings me back to reality. It makes me wonder if this is real." The redhead raised a hand to Alex's face, running a finger down from the blonde's cheek bone down to her chin.

The older lawyer was a bit taken aback.

"Can I ask you something, Alex?" Casey was a bit apprehensive, but this seemed to be a good a time as any. She needed to know.

"About Langan?" Alex acted pre-emptively. If Casey didn't want to talk about it, she did. She saw the way that the younger woman acted earlier and she could sense that Casey was feeling a bit insecure.

Casey laughed again, feeling embarrassed. "Was I that obvious?"

Alex smirked, ascertaining her suspicions. "Yeah, you were. Not that I didn't like the attention, though."

There was a silence before Alex leaned down, kissing Casey. The ADA couldn't help herself. Casey's smile was dazzling, making the blonde's heart skip a beat at the sight.

Once they parted, Casey pouted, feigning indignation. "That won't get you off the hook, Cabot. I do still want to know why you were being so chummy with the enemy."

Alex chuckled at Casey's choice of words. She shook her head, a smile still on her lips as she shot down Casey's allegations. "He's gay."

The redhead attorney widened her eyes in shock, bringing a hand to her mouth, stifling her impending laughter. "You can't be serious!"

"Anything else you want to know, counselor?" Alex felt her conscience lighten.

Casey smirked, wanting to take advantage of the situation. "Are you drunk, Alex?"

At this, the blonde lawyer nearly dropped her jaw, wondering how this factored in at all. "Relevance?"

"I can smell the alcohol on your breath, counselor. I just wouldn't want your judgement to be impaired. We were both pretty drunk that first time when we almost…you know…"

Alex scoffed, feeling a bit offended at the prosecutor's insinuation. "Are you trying to argue diminished capacity? Really?" Alex shook her head in disbelief, "Casey, I don't need to be drunk to want to have sex with you."

At that, the redhead blushed, feeling self-conscious again. "So you're saying you want to sleep with me?" Casey averted Alex's gaze, feeling guilty, but still questioning the other woman's motives.

Alex craned her neck downwards, her lips grazing Casey's right ear as she spoke, her tone low and sultry. "I thought I made that pretty clear."

Casey swallowed hard, her breath catching in the throat. "I…It's just been so surreal, Alex. Last week…Lunch…I just thought I was dreaming until I saw you with Langan today. I thought it was a wake-up call. I wasn't sure that you were interested. I mean…why would you be interested in someone like me? You're gorgeous, successful, and complete-"

Alex cut the lawyer off, crushing her lips to Casey's as she gave the woman her reply.

A few minutes and moans later, the two parted, gasping for breath.

"I think you're talking too much tonight."

The redhead could hear the smirk in the other woman's voice, finally getting the reassurance she wanted.

"Well, if that's going to happen every time, I might as well be chatty." Casey bit her lip, feeling flirtatiously ridiculous as she added, "Unless you give me something else to occupy my mouth with."

Alex's heart raced at that, losing her composure as her naughty switch turned on. "Then I suggest that you give me a hand, Casey, or we'll be here until dawn." The blonde lawyer fumbled with the buttons on her own shirt with her one good hand, her candor and impatience eliciting a grin from the redhead.

Casey was more than compliant with the request, grinning as she moved her hands to unzip the blonde lawyer's pencil skirt.

* * *

"Oh god…Oh god…"

Casey bit her lower lip as she gripped the top of her headboard, her nails digging into the laminated wood.. She rested her forehead against the backboard, melting at the feeling of Alex's tongue against her, inside her. The redhead bucked her hips harder against the blonde's face, trying to satiate her desires.

It was then that a buzzing interrupted the semi-silence. There was a series of vibrations on the dresser table, momentarily distracting the redheaded lawyer from what was happening. Luckily, the distraction was short lived and Casey nearly screamed as she felt the waves of pleasure overcome her, the climax making her head go blank.

"Alex…" Casey held onto the blonde's name through gritted teeth.

The phone vibrated again, but she didn't even notice.

As Casey's body trembled with the exertion, she felt her legs give way and she slid down from her position, letting out a sigh before settling herself in beside the blonde.

Alex licked her lips, grinning as she inched closer to the younger woman, wrapping her arms around her as they lay in bed. The blonde pressed her lips against Casey's ear, whispering, "I love the way you taste."

The redhead's face became a bright red and she sidled up closer against Alex, the blonde's soft chest flush against her back. "I'm just glad I didn't break your nose…" Casey was mildly embarrassed, but satisfied, wondering how it took them five rounds each before they decided to call it quits.

Alex laughed, pressing a kiss to Casey's cheek. "Well, I'm glad I didn't break yours either, though it would have been quid pro quo if I had."

"Oh, shut up, Cabot. I'm sure I've fulfilled my services to their fullest tonight." Casey stifled a yawn as she said this, feeling drained.

"Oh, catty, aren't we?" Alex pulled Casey in closer, trying to position her cast so it would be less awkward between them.

"I could do worse if I wasn't so spent…" Casey yawned again, her legs tingling from tonight's exercise.

Again, the phone on Casey's dresser started buzzing.

The redhead groaned.

"I think you'd better get that, Casey." Alex nearly slurred her words in semi-slumber as she edged herself off of the attorney. She turned to lean over to the dresser, picking up the phone and passing it to Casey, eager to have the interruption stop.

Glancing at the caller ID, Casey sighed, recognizing the number as Elliot's mobile.

Sliding her thumb across the screen to accept the call, she pressed it to her ear, "Novak."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, before the detective's gruff voice replied, _"Is this Casey? I thought I dialed Alex's number…"_

She could have sworn that her phone was...

Not in her room.

It was definitely in the kitchen and on the dining table.

The redhead swallowed hard, silent panic overcoming her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I was true to my promise! Update is here :P A good way to relax after a week of hell. Exams have never been worse!

My writing has never been so...sporadic!

It's full of random filler though. Running into a snag with the plot...trying to work out courthouse semantics a bit.

Stay tuned and drop me a review if you liked it :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part V-**

* * *

Excuses, excuses…

Alex wracked her brain for an excuse, any excuse, something that would throw suspicion off her and her co-worker. It was the middle of the night, but that didn't automatically call for suspicious circumstances.

Scratch that.

Casey had already handed the phone to her without a word, leaving Elliott on the line. That alone was suspicious enough.

Next to the blonde lawyer, Casey looked on with bated apprehension, an apologetic smile on her lips, only semi-sorry that she had left it up to Alex to lie to their friend.

What could she say? They could be out late, drinking at a bar, or maybe…at the hospital? No…She had already used that one. Well, that one wasn't a lie, but she did make it sound like one when she talked to Olivia a few weeks ago.

Friendly sleepover? Trial strategies?

" _Casey, are you still there?"_

Alex swore under her breath and she knew that she had to say something, anything. As long as it wasn't an admission to having an illicit sexual relationship with one of her fellow prosecutors, anything was game.

She took a deep breath.

"Hey, Elliott? It's me, Alex."

The blonde ADA sighed, wincing as she let her greeting roll out without a plan. Saying hello was as far as she got. This exchange made being in court seem like a walk in the park. After all, Alex Cabot wasn't familiar with deceiving her friends over such trivial things. It wasn't really trivial…but the whole concept of lying about her and Casey made her feel like she was in high school again, lying to her parents about a party she wasn't allowed to go to.

The only difference was the fact that the DA's office had a no fraternization policy. It was mostly for show, especially with all office gossip that had more than a drop of truth to it, but who knew when it could kick into effect… Rules and policies and office romances were all part of politics. It wouldn't be an issue unless Alex decided to run for District Attorney one day.

" _Alex, hey…what was that thing with Casey? I thought I heard her earlier."_

Alex cleared her throat to buy herself some time, still trying to think of something to tell Elliott. She knew that lying to Elliott was infinitely easier than lying to Olivia, but she still felt guilty. As a prosecutor, Alex Cabot felt obligated to make the distinction between herself and the average defense attorney. Lying wasn't really her forte. Twisting the truth, maybe…but outright lying was a different story.

" _Alex? Hello?"_

At the prompt, Alex just went with the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Sorry, just tied up at the moment. Casey and I were working through our trial strategies for next week. We're pretty swamped, so we might be up all night." Alex's voice was steady, confident, devoid of any kind of deception. There was a little too much detail in her statement, but not enough to draw any suspicion.

Beside her, Casey let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The redhead grinned with relief, even finding herself believing Alex's story.

" _Oh? Trial strategies, huh? Well, sorry to bother you then…"_ It seemed like Elliott was about to hang up, but Alex interjected, find the detective's behavior stranger than her own at the moment.

"Was there something you needed, Elliott?" Alex felt the apprehension melt away, knowing that it wasn't her indiscretions that Elliott was concerned with.

" _Yeah, uh...same old stuff, you know? Warrants and all that…"_

The blonde attorney furrowed her eyebrows, the vague nature of Elliott's request was more than unusual. It wasn't like him to beat around the bush, especially when _he_ was the one calling at two in the morning.

"Elliott, is something wrong? I know this isn't a social call…" Alex tried to coax the detective to finally get to the point, but he seemed adamant on remaining elusive.

" _It isn't. I…I just feel bad for bothering you in the first place. I'm not sure it's even anything serious."_

Alex rolled her eyes, feeling her patience run thin. It just wasn't like Elliott Stabler to care about subtlety. It was far too late in the night for this kind of game. "Spit it out already…or I'm hanging up."

 _"Alright, alright..."_

Alex could hear the detective take a breath over the line before continuing.

" _There's a package here for you. It was delivered directly to the precinct by hand and I don't know why it wasn't addressed to the DA's office since your name is on it. It doesn't even have a return address. It looked kinda suspicious, so I opened it."_

The blonde could hear that Elliott wasn't finished and she paused, the silence prompting him to continue.

" _They're just pictures, but…they're pictures of you, Alex. Of you in your office, in your home, in the courthouse, and some pictures of you with Trevor Langan. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean, but are you in some sort of trouble…?"_

There was a pause, silence hanging in the air. Alex was unsure of how to take this news. It wasn't uncommon for the DA's office to receive hate mail. She had gotten quite a few scathing letters about her liberal pro-choice views. However…pictures were something new. It just didn't sit right to know that she was being followed. If she was in trouble, it was definitely news to her.

" _Alex? Did you hear what I said? If you need any help- "_

"No, no. It's fine. Everything's fine. It must have been a prank. Don't worry about me, Elliott. If I don't get some weird mail every once in a while, it means I haven't been tough enough as a prosecutor." Alex tried to laugh it off, her chuckle feeling a bit more than forced. There was a sudden unease that worked its way into the pit of her stomach.

" _Alright. If you say so, but give me a call if you need anything."_

"Thanks, Elliott. Hopefully I won't have to call on you for that. Good night."

With a sigh, Alex hung up, replacing her phone on the dresser before she collapsed back into bed. She tried not to overthink the situation, but the implications were unnerving.

"What was all that about? Weird mail?" Casey propped her elbow onto the mattress, resting her head on her hand as she leaned on her side. She stared at Alex, waiting and wondering whether or not the blonde would unload her worries on her.

Alex managed a weak smile as she tried to reassure the redhead. "It's nothing. Just a prank that Elliott got a bit too worked up about. I'm sure it's harmless."

Casey raised an eyebrow skeptically, certain that Alex's suddenly tense disposition, no matter how subtle, was due to the call. More specifically, it something Elliott told her. "Whatever it is, if you need a lawyer, you know who to call."

The blonde attorney laughed aloud at that, sitting up as she threw her arms around Casey, pushing her backwards, down onto the bed. "I'm pretty sure I'd be representing myself if anything happened to me." All in jest, Alex smirked, pressing her lips to the younger ADA's neck, trailing kisses down Casey's bare chest.

"A-Alex! How offensive! I know you think you're a better lawyer, but give me a break!" Casey nearly giggled, the sensation of the blonde's teeth against her skin sending shivers down her spine.

"I'm glad we have something we can agree on then." With that, Alex captured Casey's lips in a quick kiss before lying back down on her side of the mattress. Settling down, the older ADA yawned, not even bothering to hide it.

"Getting tired already?" Casey sat up, letting the sheets pool around her bare waist. She ran a hand through her disheveled red locks, a faint sheen of sweat still on her forehead. She stared through the semi-darkness, feeling restless. "I think that phone call of yours jolted me awake."

"Oh how nice it is to be young, counselor." Alex smirked as she rolled over onto her side, facing away from Casey, wanting to sleep, but plagued by the nagging concerns at the back of her head.

The redheaded ADA sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Alex. I wonder who was just begging me to go another round just 20 minutes ago?" Casey abruptly flung the sheets aside, firmly turning Alex onto her back as she climbed onto the blonde's thighs, straddling the lawyer effectively.

"Casey…" Alex warned as she struggled to keep a grin from spreading across her face. She was jolted from her ruminations, the sensation of Casey's inner thighs warm against her own.

"C'mon, _counselor_. What happened to discussing trial strategy all night, hm?" Casey sidled up to the older woman, bending over as she pressed kisses against the blonde's taut stomach. Alex let out a low moan as Casey wandered lower, feeling the desire well up within her.

"F-fine." Alex's breath hitched in her throat, her face feeling flushed. "Just…one more time, alright?"

Underneath the younger prosecutor, Alex felt her body relax, her tension melting away. She was beginning to forget the news she had just received, Casey's hands and mouth against her body, a pleasant distraction.

Smirking, Casey inched her hands down below Alex's waistline, feeling accomplished. She knew that Alex Cabot might be the better lawyer, but the redhead was certain that she was the better negotiator.

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy new year! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! I finally thought of a plot that might work. I hope :P

Stay tuned! Already working on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before I upload it. As always, if you like it or want to leave a comment, send me a review!

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part VI-**

* * *

It was right in the middle of the work week when the DA's office received a sudden influx of cases. Alex and Casey were both in over their heads, only getting the odd work-related moment with each other. Justice had to be done, but sometimes, justice worked its government workers like a bitch.

They still saw each other for the occasional dinner and the rare office lunch. There were too many morning arraignments and witness prep sessions that the two lawyers felt like they hadn't seen each other for weeks even though it had only been a few days since the chaos started.

"Hey, Alex. Do you have a minute? I just have a few questions on the Goddard case." Casey asked her question as she knocked on the ADA's door. It was more of a formality since the blonde's office door was usually open.

Alex looked up from her desk, peering up over her glasses at her visitor. She had on a neutral expression that turned into a wide smile once she saw the redhead.

"Oh, come on in, Casey. It's good to see you." A smirk punctuated the blonde's remark at that. She really was glad to see her, but no one except Casey could have guessed why.

Alex would never admit it, but she loved playing co-worker with the redhead, taking in the thrill she got when she thought of their relationship as a secret office romance. It was stupid, really, but all those years in WPP made her all too familiar to those daytime soap operas. She didn't really need anymore drama in her life, but it was nice once in a while.

"How was court this morning? I heard the judge threw out the bloody shoes." Casey made her way over to the blonde's desk, a stack of files in her arms. She set the papers on the mahogany table to Alex's right, rifling through them before she took out a singular sheet.

Alex took the sheet, her eyes glancing over the words while she replied to Casey's question. "Yeah, Donnelly really chewed me out for the chain of custody mishap. There wasn't anything we do about it. It was one of our newer lab techs that botched this whole thing for us…we'll have to find another way."

The redhead stood behind the other prosecutor, skimming the document to find the part she need clarification on.

"Tough break…" Casey leaned closer over Alex, directing the blonde's attention towards a particular paragraph in the document, her hand briefly brushing past hers. Alex looked over at Casey after the brief contact, the fleeting touch just heightened by the taboo nature of their proximity. The two attorneys shared a knowing smile, a daring smile, leaning in closer towards each other, their hearts racing.

Casey put a hand on Alex's desk to steady herself, lowering her head as she closed her eyes. They knew the door was still open, but it wasn't like anyone could see them from the doorway.

Their lips were only centimeters away now, Alex's suddenly faster breathing more audible to the redheaded prosecutor.

There was a silence between them and it was obvious what they both wanted.

A sudden knock came at the door and the two women jumped apart, the both of them were visibly flushed, standing awkwardly away from each other. Casey was turned towards the door, leaning on Alex's desk with a random page of the evidence log in her hand, pretending to be reading through it. Alex, on the other hand, was leaned in towards her computer, scrolling through the open webpage.

"Sorry for interrupting. I need to talk to Ms. Cabot about a pre-trial motion."

It was one of the new law clerks, a law student. She was smart, polite, and above all, unsuspecting. Both women were equally relieved to see that she was too engrossed in her own armful of documents to take notice of the strange atmosphere she had walked into.

"Sure, let me see how I can help." Alex addressed the clerk, motioning for her to enter. "You know ADA Novak, right?" Alex gestured off-handedly to Casey, who was still masquerading as preoccupied. The redhead looked up from the sheet, just noticing that it was upside down before nodding in acknowledgement to the new arrival who introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you." Casey smiled politely before turning back towards Alex as she placed the sheet of paper back onto the blonde's desk. "Alex, I'll leave these with you. I'll come find you after my deposition downtown. I should be making my way over now anyway."

"Alright, Casey. I'll see you later." Alex readjusted her glasses, struggling to keep her tone and her affect neutral. "Say hi to Trevor for me." Alex smiled at that, rattling the younger ADA just a bit. Casey knew the older woman was teasing her, scoffing as she waved to Alex and nodded to the clerk.

The blonde couldn't help the smirk on her face, knowing that Trevor Langan was a vicious defense attorney, but still confident that Casey Novak would rip him to shreds.

"Ms. Cabot? It's just this section here…"

Alex turned her attention back to the task at hand, patiently going through the document with the student. It was tedious paperwork that Alex could do in her sleep, allowing her a moment to notice the scent of perfume that the girl in front of her wore. It was overly floral and definitely worn to attract someone's attention. Her mind wandering as the clerk finished up her questions, Alex wondered if Jack had gotten his claws into this one. Manhattan's current District Attorney had a bad habit of sleeping with most of his young female coworkers and Alex wouldn't put it past him to get involved with a law student…

Sighing, the blonde lawyer wondered how Jack's hypocrisy surrounding workplace fraternization could benefit her.

They were old friends after all.

Sure, he was her boss, but it wasn't like the great DA himself was being discrete about his own indiscretions. Stifling a smirk, Alex mentally commended Jack McCoy for escaping the scrutiny of the press, along with passing the vigorous vetting process of the DA's office.

"Ms. Cabot…? Is something wrong with what I just said?"

The prosecutor was jostled back into reality, slightly embarrassed that she had drifted off like that. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I just remembered that a meeting I have today has been moved up. We'll have to finish up quickly here."

The law clerk left shortly after minor corrections were made to the motion, Alex gathering her things for the meeting on the next floor. It was more administration related, but important nonetheless. With her position as pseudo-bureau chief in the SVU unit, she had appearances to keep up. On that note, the blonde suddenly thought of something.

When she saw Casey today in her office, she knew that what she wanted from the lawyer was more than just sexual gratification. It occurred to her that what she had with Casey was progressing quickly.

She genuinely liked the redheaded ADA.

A lot.

* * *

It was just before lunch when Casey returned from Langan's firm, perfectly frustrated that she had to entertain those corporate lawyers with their demands.

"I know I'm working for the good guys…but sometimes, I wish the good guys had better offices." Casey sighed as she entered Alex's office while knocking. Again, the knocking was just a formality. Alex was alone, reading some papers she held in her hands.

"Yes, Casey. Come on in. It's not like we have work to do today." Alex's tone dripped with sarcasm and she put down her work as she turned to the other woman. "Like I'd be able to concentrate with you around anyway..." The blonde said this under her breath, only half joking.

"Sorry, it's just been a long morning, Alex. Langan's firm had fruit platters, freshly baked pastries, a few fancy espresso machines…and I trudge back to the DA's office to have stale coffee and a box of empty donuts…" Casey threw her briefcase down, collapsing onto the couch in Alex's office. It was right by the door, in plain view of the hallway outside the office.

"I'm pretty sure it's just the sleep deprivation talking." Alex smirked as she said this, knowing Casey well enough that she only talked about food like that when she was hungry and tired. The blonde continued, exercising her knowledge of the redhead's background. "If I remember correctly, you worked at Fowler-Bishop for a few years, didn't you? Don't tell me you miss the corporate life?"

"Oh, Alex." Casey sighed, leaning back as she rested her head against the wall behind the couch. "Sometimes I do, but then again, putting away the bad guys is good enough for me." The redhead paused, throwing the blonde a sidelong glance. Casey smiled. "And I guess you're not so bad to work with either…You're definitely one of the reasons that working sex crimes at the DA's office has been more bearable these days."

"I'm glad to hear that we share the same sentiments." Alex's heart swelled at Casey's unwittingly sweet comment, but the Ice Queen kept her calm façade as she smiled gently. She removed her glasses and set them down on her desk before she made her way towards Casey.

Alex paused for a moment before she reached the redhead who was making herself at home on her couch. A thought had just crossed the older ADA's mind.

Casey still held her spot on the love-seat, her expression quizzical as she watched Alex walk past her and to the door.

Wordlessly, Alex pulled the door to her office shut, an almost guilty expression on her face as she turned around to face the redhead.

"Casey, I feel extremely conflicted right now, but I need to talk to you about something." The blonde seemed hesitant as she made her way back towards the other lawyer.

The younger prosecutor swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous. From her experience, those words either meant something very good or very bad. Honestly, that mental note was completely useless, but Casey's mind was running awry with the sudden anxiety.

"Is…something bothering you, Alex?" At the back of Casey's head, she wondered if it was related to the call from Elliott that the ADA had received almost a week ago. This thought was mostly to deflect the possibility that their conversation would be about calling it quits. Again, Casey's insecurities were knocking.

Was it what she just said? Did Alex think they were getting too serious?

Casey had tried to fight the urge to spend every waking moment with the woman that had captivated her long before their drunken encounter. It used to be a strange sense of admiration, but Casey Novak was sure that it had grown into a kind of obsession. It was an apprehensive feeling to be with Alex, feeling special with the blonde's attention on her, but anxious at the same time, her old insecurities nagging at her.

"I know that these past few weeks have been hectic and we seem to be moving pretty quickly…" Alex trailed off, making Casey worry with her actions. It wasn't like ADA Cabot to be hesitant, especially not with her articulate and eloquent nature.

"What are you trying to say?" Casey shifted in her seat, uneasy, her green eyes fixed on Alex's piercing blue ones. She didn't want to be right about her suspicions.

"Well, this is difficult for me to say, but I've really enjoyed my time with you, Casey. I respect you as a prosecutor and a person." Alex paused, trying to find her words, while the redhead looked on in utter horror. "I can also say that you are a passionate, funny, and beautiful woman…and I-"

Casey swallowed her anxiety, standing up abruptly. "Are you saying we shouldn't see each other anymore?" The redhead blurted it out without thinking through her thoughts, trying to get a jump on the gun. After all, if she was going to get shot, she wanted some warning first.

For a split second there was silence.

For another second, there was more silence, along with stark confusion that appeared on Alex's face. A red tinge suddenly adorned the blonde's cheeks and she closed the distance between them in a few brisk strides. She paused in front of the Casey, searching the redhead's eyes for a reason for the outburst.

The anxiety on the younger prosecutor's face was all Alex needed to see and she sighed with relief.

The taller blonde took a step forward, wrapping Casey in a tight embrace, her chin resting on the woman's shoulder.

"Oh, Casey. I'm so sorry. I know how it could have come off like that, but it wasn't what I was getting at. I'm horrible with my feelings and I always get so…tense sometimes when I talk about it. I tend to beat around the bush sometimes." Alex tightened her hold on the redhead, sighing again.

Casey blinked, her arms stiff at her side for a few seconds before she realized that she had misunderstood. It took her a while to recover, another couple of seconds before she returned Alex's hug. The younger woman could feel her heart pounding louder and louder in her chest, growing slowly until Casey recognized it as excitement. "So, what were you trying to get at, Alex?" Her question was short and simple, but evoked such complex feelings in both attorneys.

Breaking their embrace, Alex held Casey at arms' length, her hands still on the woman's shoulders. There was an apologetic expression on her face, a sheepish smile that made the other ADA swoon.

"I was just being a complete sap with all that stuff I said…what I really wanted to say was that…I really enjoy our time together...and not just for the sex. I want to get to know you better."

Again, there was a momentary lapse of silence between the two women, with Casey trying to register what Alex had just said. It was subtle at first, but it grew into an uncontrollable urge…She put a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her amusement, but she ended up bursting out in laughter.

Dumbfounded, Alex wasn't entirely sure if this was a good sign.

"Did I…did I say something funny, Casey?"

Still recoiling from her laughing fit, the redhead leaned forward a bit, bringing her hands to rest on Alex's hips. "A-Alex, I keep doing this. I just…can't help it sometimes and I always end up laughing at the worst times…" Casey shook her head, still smiling. "I'll forgive your choice of words, counselor, since I probably wouldn't have said it any better myself."

"Well, I'm glad that you're just laughing at what I said and not what I meant." Alex raised an eyebrow, trying to get confirmation.

Casey just smiled, cupping the blonde's cheek with her hand.

The blonde continued on, feeling more comfortable with where they were. "We're both admittedly inarticulate in these moments. How about we celebrate this occasion of mutual feeling with some lunch? I know this great Thai place on the corner of Washington." Alex moved her hands lower, bringing in Casey close as they held each other in a semi-embrace.

"Hmm…as much as I'd like that, I don't think we have time for a full lunch. Why don't we just stay in and have a short break?" Casey said this as she leaned in, giving the blonde a long kiss. There was a suggestive look in the redhead's eyes, her lips curling up into a smirk.

"I guess you make a good point, Casey…especially since you're looking decidedly delicious right now." Alex returned the previous gesture, capturing Casey's lips with hers as she grinned into the kiss. "How long do you think we'll have?" Alex squeezed the question in between kisses, getting caught up in how good Casey tasted.

"Let's indulge ourselves and say…30 minutes? We can work on the Goddard case right after if you're up for it." Casey made the suggestion as she met Alex's lips again, feeling an ache well up within her. She wanted the other woman badly and there was a lot they could do in half an hour.

That was all the blonde attorney needed to hear and without wasting another second, her hands worked to rid Casey of her navy blazer, her mouth hungrily seeking out the redhead's.

Jackets and stockings were torn off in record time, the two women half naked as they forwent the couch and made their way to Alex's desk.

Alex had backed Casey against the edge of the table, hooking her legs under her elbows as she lifted the woman onto the desk in a sitting position. Desperately wanting to have access, Alex pushed up Casey's skirt as the redhead worked on unbuttoning her blouse.

They were both frantic, starved almost as they grabbed for each other.

There was a split second of clarity when a thought popped into Casey's mind. She stopped Alex for a minute, pushing her away gently, her eyes darting to the door. The younger woman was still slightly breathless from the kiss, struggling to get her words out. "A-Alex...did you-"

"I did lock the door if you were wondering." Alex grinned as she answered the redhead's question before she finished.

Casey scoffed, shaking her head slightly. "You know me so well already, Alex."

Unhooking the redhead's bra expertly, Alex let her hands wander, her smile getting more devious by the second. "That's right, Casey. I know you well enough that you'll be begging me for more than 30 minutes by the time I'm done with you."

Casey's breath hitched in her throat and she pulled Alex in for a deep kiss, desperate to prove the blonde wrong, but thinking it wouldn't be so bad if the other woman were true to her word.

* * *

It was hours later, when the Manhattan DA's office emptied out. It was after 7 P.M., the work day long over. However, one Alex Cabot was still walking through its empty corridors, making her way to Jack McCoy's office. Regrettably, she didn't have time earlier, since she was due in court after lunch, but her boss graciously agreed to an evening meeting. He said he would be in late.

Alex stopped in front of the large oak double doors, her hand poised to knock. She often visited the DA's office, but it wasn't often that Jack sent her a personal invitation, a pretty urgent one at that. After all, the DA himself rarely visited her office just to schedule a meeting. It was during lunch, while Alex was working on the Goddard case with Casey, right after they decided to continue later tonight after their time ran out. They cut it pretty close. It was a good thing that they were both conscientious workaholics, otherwise, Jack would have had grounds to fire them both for carrying out their extracurricular activities in the office.

Letting out a sigh, she wondered why the District Attorney wanted to see her in the first place. There was no way he could have known about her and Casey, right? They did make sure to clean up well, to straighten their skirts, unwrinkle their blouses, and even comb their hair after their short lunch. Alex shook her head, feeling foolish for even thinking that. After all, they were careful today.

With that conviction in mind, the ADA shook off her anxieties, becoming more willing to proceed with her mysterious meeting.

Alex knocked on the wooden door and after three quick raps, Jack's voice echoed from the inside.

"Come in."

The ADA walked in, adjusting her glasses as she smiled while greeting her boss. "I hope this is a good time, Jack. You said you wanted to see me?" The blonde shut the door behind them, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of McCoy's desk.

"Alex! So glad you could drop by!" Jack McCoy had his legs propped on his desk, just putting down a newspaper as Alex entered.

"Of course. And I just want to thank you for making time for me in your schedule." Alex crossed her legs as she sat in the hot spot, feeling slightly anxious.

"Oh, yes, that's no problem, Alex. Anything for one of our best ADAs. It's just a bit of administrative work I need to discuss with you." At this, Jack's voice, although still light, took a more serious tone. He put his feet back on the ground, sitting up in his chair as he took off his reading glasses.

Alex tried to swallow her apprehension, but felt like it was stuck in her throat. She found the anxiety really starting to settle in.

"I highly respect you, Alex, so it would have been better if you came to me earlier about this. It's really nothing to be so secretive about. The DA's office would definitely have your back with this." Jack leaned forward on his desk, his gaze fixated on the young ADA.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to imply, Jack. What am I being secretive about?" The blonde lawyer chose her words carefully, still unclear on their topic of discussion.

"You don't have to hide it. I'm well aware of the…situation that you're in at the moment. It's never easy to admit it, especially when you're up for a _promotion_ , Alexandra." This time, Jack looked at Alex from over his glasses, stressing the word promotion as subtly as he could. He also used her full name this time, which usually meant business.

"A promotion? You mean bureau chief? Executive ADA? District attorney?" Alex was no stranger to the former two positions, and a promotion in any context, was good news.

Jack raised an eyebrow at the last suggestion, but continued on. "Yes...That's along the lines of what I was trying to say. You have influence and a good presence in this office, so I have no doubt that you would be a good candidate to run for DA. If that's what you're aiming for, of course."

"Thank you, Jack. I never knew you had such faith in me." Alex smirked, feeling a little better about the situation at the moment.

"Yes, I do, so that's why you need to let the DA's office help you. She came to my office directly to tell me all the details. It was a lot to take in all at once and I wanted to see what you had to say about it."

Alex's smirk quickly disappeared off her face. There was no way that Jack was talking about Casey. They would have discussed something this important if they decided to come forward. It must have been someone else.

Someone in the office must have seen them.

But when?

Jack's gaze softened. "We're friends as well as colleagues, Alex. This isn't something you can deal with on your own." Jack furrowed his grey brows, a concerned look on his face. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. The best of us encounter these kinds of issues every now and then.

At the older man's statement, Alex couldn't help but feel confused and offended at his choice of words. She could have sworn that Jack's political views aligned quite well with her own, but maybe he was talking more at the office's behest, thinking of the views that the public would have of her and her same-sex relationship?

It was unnerving to say the least, but what else could he be talking about?

"I want to thank you for the support, but I can assure you that this isn't a 'problem' that I need to deal with."

"Is that so? Every prosecutor I know that has been dragged into this kind of mess has taken all the help they can get. What do you think makes you so special, Alex?" Jack's voice was still calm, steady, but a hint of annoyance on his lips.

Alex scoffed, trying to keep her cool. She stood suddenly, placing her palms on Jack's desk as she stared him in eye. "Jack, I can assure you that it will have no bearing on my work as a prosecutor." The blonde's words cut the air, her conviction clear in her voice. "I don't know what you've heard, Jack, but Casey and I are more than discrete. I find it unfair that my personal relationships are being brought under scrutiny while there are so many _others_ in this office that have had more than their fair share of indiscretion."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the blonde lawyer regretted it immediately. She should have clarified what they were discussing, because the sudden silence and the incredulous look on Jack McCoy's face just told her that she had just essentially outed herself and insulted her boss.

The silence remained, Jack's mouth moving, opening and closing, trying to form a question. His forehead was wrinkled in concentration, his head slightly tilted to the side as if it would help him understand what his subordinate had just disclosed to him.

"Oh god…Jack…" Alex shook her head, bringing a hand to her head as she felt a headache coming on. "I thought we were talking about something else…"

"Clearly." Jack cleared his throat, sitting up, leaning back into his chair. He smiled out of politeness, but it was more like a grimace with a hint of confusion. The older lawyer sighed, spinning his chair to the side as he looked up towards the ceiling. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"I am so sorry…I was going to tell you this…when the time was right. I had no intention of-" Alex was cut off mid-sentence.

"So…you and…Casey Novak, was it? What is the nature of your relationship that you need to be…discrete about it?"

There was a kind of incredulous air about Jack's question.

"Well…Casey Novak and I are…involved…romantically." Alex almost cringed at her own admission, wondering how she could have been so tactless, so dense. It was all a matter of being smart about it, not letting her righteous indignation get the better of her, but maybe some part of her wanted to tell Jack.

There was another pause as the information sunk in for the District Attorney.

"I see…Well, I'm happy for you, Alex…and I can see how you were mistaken into thinking we were talking about this…relationship of yours." Jack put his hands together, his elbows resting on the arms of the office chair. He rested his chin on his folded palms, thinking about what to do, what to say.

"It's...uhm somewhat serious, Jack. I have every intention of continuing on with Casey, so I'm more than happy to keep things under the table if that's in the interest of the DA's office…" Alex seemed embarrassed to be saying this, but she felt like she owed it to Casey since she ran her mouth quite prematurely.

"Don't worry about it, Alex. I'm confident that you're more than capable keeping the DA's office and its scandals out of the newspapers. The no fraternization policy is more of a precautionary measure…and it is enforced…selectively I would say. As you might have been aware…" Jack cleared his throat, feeling that it was only appropriate that he treat Alex as a friend and not just an employee, confirming her earlier statements.

Alex looked away at that, trying hard not to smile at her boss' subtle admission.

"Anyways, Alex." Jack spun around again, facing the young woman. "You have no idea why I called you in?" He was eager to change the subject, to finally get on with the situation at hand.

"None at all, Jack. You know how heavy my caseload's been these days." Alex was just starting to relax, feeling lighter as soon as she realized that her boss didn't care about her office romance.

"Didn't you get the memo? I got notice earlier today." Jack again looked increasingly worried as he recognized the blank stare on Alex's face. "It's the Jefferson suit." The DA said in a matter-of-fact way, as if that would explain everything.

"Jack? Which suit? Don't we contract out our civil cases to a private firm?" The blonde lawyer was thoroughly confused, wondering what this had to do with her.

"Alex…we're not the ones bringing suit…" Jack leaned forward, his brown eyes full of pure seriousness. "It's against you and the DA's office. They've written you personally into a civil suit, claiming prosecutorial misconduct."

Prosecutorial misconduct.

The words struck the ADA hard, and in retrospect, Alex finally knew why the name Jefferson sounded familiar. At the same time, something strange happened in Alex's head. The pictures that Elliott warned her about suddenly came to mind.

It was her gut instinct, but she couldn't help but think that the pictures must have been related.

* * *

 **A/N:** I saw a few reviews asking me to update and wondering why I haven't updated, but sad to say this is a really fast update for me :P This story has been one of my most updated ones (in terms of chapters vs. time taken to update).

So be patient please :P I definitely appreciate all your support and reviews, but asking me to post another chapter won't do anything in terms of my productivity! I'm well into the winter semester at school, so I might not be as active.

I will update in due time and thank you all again for the reviews! Drop me a comment if you liked what you read :)

I'll try to be timely, but no guarantees :P


	7. Chapter 7

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part VII-**

* * *

Once Alex walked into her brownstone, she stopped, wondering if she had entered the wrong house.

The lights were already on and there was the distinct sound of someone in the kitchen and the smell of food wafting in the air. The powerful New York prosecutor was definitely guilty of leaving her newly renovated kitchen unused most days of the week. It came to a surprise to her that an intruder would be making dinner, but at the moment, Alex was far from thinking it was a home invasion.

It was most likely her mother, or-

The blonde attorney paused as she continued into the unit, her eyes widening as she spotted a familiar briefcase and jacket strewn on her living room couch. A quickly widening smile replaced her apprehension, the smell of dinner making Alex wonder if Casey had lied about living on pizza delivery. She quickly kicked off her heels, tiptoeing in her pantyhose clad feet, her footsteps almost noiseless.

It was the dinner table first that caught Alex's eye, with a luxurious spread of foods that she could only describe as her favorite dishes on the table. Honey glazed salmon, carbonara pasta, cauliflower cheese bake, heirloom tomato salad...Alex was speechless, finally understanding all those loaded questions the redhead had asked her before. Salivating, the blonde was still in awe, wondering how the younger ADA could have whipped this up right after work. They only left a few hours apart, with loose plans of meeting for dinner later this evening. The meeting with Jack was edged out of her mind. It was something she had to deal with sooner or later, but it definitely wasn't ruining her evening tonight.

Turning to the figure standing at the sink noisily scrubbing at some pans, Alex grinned. It was a sight for sore eyes, seeing Casey Novak in that green apron that Alex had never once taken out of one of her many mystery kitchen drawers.

This domestic side of the overachieving ADA was one that Alex never would have guessed existed. It was refreshing to say the least.

After a few minutes of just observing the redhead wash her pans, Alex stifled a chuckle as she watched Casey heave out a long sigh once the dishes were done.

The younger ADA spun around at the sudden sound, nearly jumping out of her skin. She clutched a hand to her chest once she had realized that it was just the homeowner. "Alex. You scared me. I didn't even hear you come in. Why didn't you say anything?" A red blush rose to Casey's cheeks as she stripped off the apron, making her way around the breakfast counter and over to Alex who sat at the table, just grinning.

"I wanted to enjoy the moment." Alex laughed. "Who knows when I'll get another chance to witness the great ADA Novak slaving away in my kitchen." The blonde pulled Casey over to her, kissing the redhead deeply before she just held her in a comfortable embrace.

"Haha. That's very funny, but you could just ask if that's what you really want, you know?" Casey smirked as she pulled away from Alex, heading back into the kitchen to fetch a few glasses and a bottle of white wine that was chilling in the refrigerator.

Trailing behind Casey, Alex could see that her kitchen was once again spotless, no evidence of dinner making in sight. There was a slight pang in the blonde's heart, wondering why discovering Casey's homemaker side turned her on so much.

Casey pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge, the sight of the label making Alex's heart skip a beat.

"Wow, is that an '89 Chardonnay? You really know your wines." Alex moved to help Casey with the glasses, feeling impressed. "It seems like you're quite the chef despite what you told me before." The blonde attorney raised an eyebrow as she walked around the table, grabbing a corkscrew from a cabinet.

Casey scoffed, wanting to be modest, but also wanting to gloat a bit. "The internet's a great tool to help people like me seem cultured. Also, don't shower me with praise until you actually try the stuff…I don't mean to brag, but I did go through quite a lot of cookbooks during my suspension." The redhead gladly took a seat after all the work she had done tonight, thanking Alex as the blonde poured her a generous glass of her favorite white wine.

After pouring herself an equally generous amount of Chardonnay, Alex pulled out a chair across from Casey, looking over with a slightly unreadable expression on her face. There was a smile on the older ADA's lips, but also a strange air to her.

Casey's breath hitched in her throat.

"Alex, was the surprise too much?" Casey felt her heart race, mentally berating herself for fulfilling the lesbian stereotypes she had heard so much about. She wanted to explain it away, to try and cover up any sign that she was becoming too invested in…whatever they had. "I just thought that since we don't have anything scheduled early tomorrow, and your meeting with Jack…I figured it was either something bad or something good, so I wanted to…take off the edge a bit." Casey watched Alex's expression, hoping she hadn't overextended the use of the blonde's extra house key.

"You've just…"Alex paused, casually taking a sip of her glass before she continued. "You've really made my day, Casey. I don't know what else to say but thank you." There was a genuine smile on Alex's lips and she reached out across the table to intertwine her hand with Casey's.

The redhead was elated to hear that, squeezing Alex's hand in reply. In hindsight, Casey felt foolish about wanting to censor her feelings towards Alex. When it came down to the blonde lawyer, the young ADA knew she couldn't think straight half the time, but it seemed like she was doing everything right so far, her anxiety clearly unwarranted.

"It's nothing, really. I just saw your expensive kitchen going to waste." Casey flashed Alex a smug grin, feeling proud of her accomplishment tonight. She turned to the table, using the serving utensils to fill Alex's plate with the dinner she had painstakingly planned out for more than a few weeks now. It was a calculating move on Casey's part, gathering information on the blonde lawyer's favorite gastronomic experiences.

"Well, Ms. All-things-modest, you've done a great job and I'm surprised you could pull it off with the desert of a pantry I have here." Alex laughed as she thought of her near-empty cupboards, filled with coffee beans, quinoa, and oatmeal.

"Oh, don't get me started on that. I really don't know how you run on that, Alex. I know expensive restaurants are more your scene, but after tonight, I'm sure you'll keep your kitchen well-stocked just to have me cook for you." Casey dug into her own plate, savoring the rich flavors she put into the honey garlic marinade, the tenderness of the fresh salmon just falling apart in her mouth.

The redheaded ADA was definitely a foodie, but a closeted one at that. Maybe it was the strange juxtaposition of softball and classic French cooking that people found surprising.

Alex was equally occupied with a mouthful of Casey's highly underrated cooking. She was shocked that such sophisticated talent was hidden in the woman who once told her that Oreos were her favorite food. "Casey, you are definitely going to do this again." The blonde was less preoccupied with her five-star restaurant manners, and more with inhaling the food in front of her. After skipping lunch and only having a cup of coffee for breakfast, it was comforting change.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself there, counselor. I know we both probably haven't eaten properly for the last few days, so that's another reason for this little celebration of ours." Casey took a swig from her wine glass, savoring the sweet taste of the green grapes that she loved in her Chardonnay.

"Hmm, good way of putting it. I definitely need a pick-me-up after finding out that I'm being sued for prosecutorial misconduct." Alex said this so nonchalantly, continuing her dinner without so much as a pause.

Across from the blonde, Casey raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had heard the woman correctly. The older ADA seemed too calm for it to be true, but then again, she was Alexandra Cabot, the proverbial queen of the DA's office.

"Is it a civil suit? There's no official inquest, is there?" Casey wasn't going to be worried if Alex wasn't, and she knew the woman well enough to know that Alex always had a gameplan for everything.

"No, there's no official inquest as of yet. Jack pulled some strings to have them hold back for now, so I still have all my active cases. Unfortunately, he did warn me that they'll investigate if the suit doesn't get quashed in pre-trial motions." Alex put a large spoonful of cheesy cauliflower in her mouth, feeling the stress of her own statement melt away with the flavors washed over her taste buds.

"I'm glad you're getting the benefit of the doubt. I guess my Brady violation was a bit too difficult to fight since I did it in open court…" Casey laughed weakly, a bit more than self-deprecating. She shook it off abruptly. "Anyway, what's the case? Something high profile?"

Alex furrowed her brows as she thought back to the initial investigation. It had only been a few months ago, but nothing in particular stood out about it. "It wasn't high profile at all. It was a pretty open and shut case and it only got kicked to SVU because a peeping tom was apprehended on scene." The blonde wracked her mind. No, it wasn't open and shut. There had always been something that bothered her about the coroner's report, but what was it… "The evidence cleared the suspect of everything and in the end, it was ruled natural causes. A heart attack. There really wasn't any other explanation for the cause of death."

"Then what's the complaint? Damages? Why would the guy be suing you if he wasn't charged?" Casey knew it shouldn't be cause for concern, but it seemed suspicious for someone to be filing a lawsuit on a crime they were cleared of.

"That's the weird thing. It's not the suspect that's suing me and the department. It's the victim's daughter. She's claiming that I colluded with the defense to make the charges go away." Alex sighed, continuing on with rest of her dinner.

"Collusion? Really? What kind of evidence do they have on that? Collusion is such a hard thing to prove if they don't have physical evidence." Casey helped herself to seconds, just missing the expression that flickered onto Alex's face.

Suddenly, Alex paled.

"They…might have evidence of that." Alex thought back to the pictures. They were sent before notice was served. They weren't incriminating on their own, but in the context of the case, they could definitely suggest the alleged collusion was taking place.

"Alex…who was the defense attorney on that case?" Casey felt uneasy, not liking the sudden serious tone the blonde took.

"Trevor Langan. He was opposing counsel…" Sighing, the blonde put everything together, her mind finally as clear as ever. A sinking feeling hit Alex and she knew what this was. It was blackmail.

"And…I went as his date to the governor's ball two weeks after the trial."

Casey sighed, now seeing how this civil lawsuit could be more than just a trumped up accusation. The other side had the ammunition and probable cause they needed for an inquest. Now, they just needed the evidence to prove that the truth was the truth.

To do that, Alex definitely needed to call in some favors.

* * *

"Elliott." Olivia sighed, leaning back in the passenger's seat as she looked at her watch. It was almost 10:30 P.M. and tomorrow was another regular workday. She really didn't have the time to go on voluntary stakeouts.

"I know, I know. Another 30 minutes? I'm just getting worried. It's the second package that's ended up on my desk I just want to make sure she's alright." Elliott peered across the street, his eyes picking up movement in the upscale brownstone.

"I'm pretty sure Alex can handle herself. After all, if she was in trouble, she would tell us. They were pretty normal pictures, weren't they?" The exasperated detective yawned, checking her watch again. "Why don't you just give her a call?"

"But it's Alex, you know? She's on her high horse and all that. She probably doesn't think it's a threat, but I've seen these tactics before. They might seem innocuous, but the pictures tell you that they've been watching her for a long time." Elliott turned to Olivia and they shared a look.

"Hmm…You might be on to something. It's not like you to get so worked up about nothing." Olivia conceded, convinced that Elliott's gut was rarely wrong. "I do think you should give Alex a call though. It might be better than sitting outside her house wondering if she's been kidnapped."

"She didn't really give me the time of day the last time I told her. I just wish we got here earlier though. It's already gotten too dark for anyone to be scoping out her place for photos." Elliott looked up and down the street for any suspicious activity, but to be honest, their little stakeout was probably the most suspicious thing on the block. His beat-up four-door sedan stuck out like a sore thumb in this neighborhood.

"What's Alex got to do with Trevor Langan though?" Olivia mused aloud, having taken a look at both sets of photos that Elliott had kept. "They seemed awfully friendly in the photos, but it wasn't like a sex tape or racy photos, you know?"

"Maybe it's Langan's wife or girlfriend suspecting him of cheating? The pictures could be a scare tactic to tell Alex to stay away from her man." Elliott joined in on the brainstorming as he rummaged through his pockets for a stick of gum.

"That's a likely one." Olivia nodded in agreement, not knowing what other possibility it could be at this point.

There was a brief silence in the car, just the sound of Elliott's chewing filling the small expanse.

"By the way, since when were Casey and Alex friends?"

It was a question out of the blue from Elliott, who didn't usually take interest in anyone outside Olivia or his own family.

"I think they've been pretty chummy ever since that time Alex broke her arm. They've been working on a lot of cases together too, so it's no wonder." Olivia had a feeling that Elliott had caught onto something. Her interest was piqued, but she really didn't want to gossip about Alex.

"Huh." Elliott was at a slight loss. If Olivia didn't find it strange, then it probably wasn't.

A few more minutes passed and the car was filled with the sound of Elliott's gum smacking against the roof of his mouth.

Something was hanging in the air and Olivia knew that Elliott didn't want to drop the subject.

"Are uh…Casey and Alex seeing anyone?"

Olivia arched an eyebrow, turning to her partner and giving him the most incredulous look she could manage. "I never pegged you for a gossip monger…What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing! It's just that…" Elliott paused, unable to forget that strange thing that happened last week with Casey answering Alex's phone. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it was…weird. "I was just curious."

"Elliott, come on. What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia shook her head, disappointed at the man's attempt at making conversation. The urge to tell Elliott about the time Alex missed brunch was getting stronger. She knew it would just perpetuate the unfounded assumptions.

"It's just that they're both young, beautiful and successful lawyers and it's rare to see women their age still single."

Olivia Benson scoffed, almost as if she were offended. "Elliott, you know that _I'm_ still single, right?" There was a slightly chill in the air despite the lighthearted tone that the female detective attempted to take.

Feeling uncomfortable at how Olivia bristled, Elliott decided to stop trying to beat around the bush. "That's not what I meant, Liv…I uh didn't want to tell you, since you'd think I was overthinking things, but…" Elliott scratched his head sheepishly, wondering how to word it. "When I called Alex last week to warn her about the photos, Casey picked up."

Olivia raised an eyebrow again. "And…?" The detective struggled to contain her excitement. It was inappropriate for a woman her age to get excited over office gossip, but it was definitely one of her guilty pleasures.

"It was the middle of the night…and it sounded like I woke them. Casey sounded like she had made the biggest mistake on earth by answering the phone too. I didn't think much of it then, but it was just after our conversation the other day that I started thinking…"

Olivia chuckled. "You mean how we were talking about how Casey is pretty much the only female in the DA's office that can play softball?"

Elliott laughed. "Yeah, and you know…that little wager we had going on. I was thinking about that, but Alex? I just don't see that ice queen batting for the other team."

"You'd be surprised, El…Alex can be quite the political bisexual. The way she flirts with everyone and anyone who could possibly further her political career…You should have seen her at the DA's Christmas party."

"But that's work, right? I get that. I guess it's just weird to picture the two of them being such close friends. Aside from being bossy and good at their jobs, they seem like complete opposites." Elliott sighed as he got his suspicions off his chest.

"I know what you mean. Casey can be a bit quirky and neurotic at times and Alex…" Olivia paused, trailing off, not knowing how to describe the blonde ADA.

"Alex is just Alex." Elliott finished his partner's sentence for her, and they both agreed that there really was no other way to justly embody the description of Alex Cabot.

The two lapsed into a moment of silence before tensing up as the front doors to Alex's unit opened up.

"Look! There's someone coming out." Elliott squinted, trying to make out as much as he could in the darkness.

"Oh my god. Is that…" Olivia was intensely trained on the doorway, her jaw almost dropping.

"Well, you know…it doesn't mean anything. Just because we were just talking about them doesn't mean that there's anything going on." Elliott tried to rationalize his thoughts as he watched the subjects of their conversation step out onto the doorstep. Casey held her briefcase and jacket in hand, talking animatedly with Alex, who was still in her work attire. The older lawyer leaned on her doorframe, her stockinged feet just visible from the detective's car.

So far, the two women looked like colleagues who had just had dinner after a regular workday. Really close colleagues, but nevertheless, there was nothing incriminating about how their conversation looked.

"Yeah. They were probably discussing their caseload over dinner."

Still, the two detectives watched with bated breath, expecting something to happen, as if they were watching a soap opera.

After a few more minutes of talking, Casey moved to leave, turning to walk down the stairs.

At this, the excitement died down, the inherent imagination of the human mind, disappointing.

"I guess it was a stretch. I mean really? Alex and Casey? That's not really something I would ever expect to-" Olivia stopped midsentence, her attention suddenly captured by the sight of Alex taking a few steps out past the main door. She caught Casey while the redhead was halfway down the front steps, a hand on the woman's arm stopping her.

The two women exchanged a few words, shared a few laughs and after that, Casey followed Alex back into the house.

Back in Elliott's car, there was a sense of nervous apprehension between the two detective. There was a silent agreement between them after what they both saw. They were both adults. They could both read the body language there. It was far too intense to suggest that Alex and Casey were just friends.

At this revelation, the two detectives were dumbstruck.

"I really hope you're not planning to wait to see if Casey goes home tonight." Olivia cocked her head slightly, wondering if Elliott wanted to pursue this further. The female detective was still intrigued by the exchange they witnessed tonight, a bemused smile on her lips.

Elliott's face matched Olivia's expression and after a brief pause, fished his keys out of the cup-holder. "We'll solve this mystery another day…And leave them their privacy. They are our friends after all..." The gruff detective mumbled as he started up the car, heading back to the precinct, more embarrassed than anything at having possibly uncovered a secret affair between Manhattan's hottest ADAs.

* * *

The following morning, Olivia and Elliott weren't given a moment's rest. The unofficial case they were on the previous night had caught up to them, starting with the surprise guests that had just showed up at the precinct.

"Olivia, I'm so glad you and Elliott are here. Do you have a few minutes to talk? I need to ask you two for a favor." Alex Cabot stood in front of Olivia's desk, briefcase in hand. It would have been a normal sight no matter how early in the morning, but today, beside her, stood Casey Novak.

Olivia and Elliott shared a knowing look, their detective skills kicking into in overdrive.

Alex had on one of her notorious miniskirt-blazer combinations with a matching pair of satin black high heels, not a hair out of place.

"What can we help you two with?" Elliott stood, walking over to the women.

Both attorneys looked professional as always. They stood an appropriate distance away from each other, not awkwardly distant, but not suspiciously close either. There were no clues there.

"Is there somewhere more private we can talk? The information is a bit sensitive." Casey piped up, dropping her voice as she posed the question.

Olivia gave the redhead a quick once over before replying. "Of course. I think there's an interview room that's open. Let's head there."

Casey had on a flattering grey pant suit that Olivia had seen her wear before. It was definitely Casey-esque. It wasn't the outfit she had worn to Alex's place last night, but she could have gone home this morning to change.

Olivia gave it another thought.

Or maybe…Casey had a few outfits stashed in Alex's closet for the occasional overnight stay.

Both were possibilities if they assumed that there was something going on between the two lawyers.

The two detectives escorted the lawyers down the hallway and into one of the empty interview rooms. They all took a seat at the small metal table, each side bracing themselves for the news.

It took no more than ten minutes to lay out the details, and it helped that Olivia and Elliott remembered the case somewhat. However, the two detectives were both relieved and disappointed that their discussion wasn't to disclose a clandestine romance between the two lawyers.

"So, let me get this straight…the victim's daughter from that case…four months ago is suing you and the DA's department because she thinks you dropped charges against her mother's alleged killer?"

Elliott narrowed his eyes, his head cocked slightly to the left, feeling strange to have said all that in the same sentence. Especially after learning that Alex Cabot was the subject of a lawsuit.

"Yes, and I hate to ask this of you two, but I would really appreciate it if you could take a second look. Something just doesn't sit right with me, especially with the timing of the lawsuit." Alex adjusted her glasses, leaning forward on the cold metal table. "The cause of death was ruled an accident, but they're arguing that there was foul play."

"Yeah, the timing is definitely suspicious. Do you think the pictures have something to do with this? Elliott told me that they were pictures of you and Langan. Wasn't he the defense lawyer on this case?" Olivia chimed in, growing more worried that Alex had gotten herself tied up in something complicated.

"Pictures?" Casey looked puzzled as she stared down the detectives and her blonde lover. It was the first she had heard of any pictures. She was curious and concerned. Especially when pictures of Alex and Langan were used in the context of blackmail.

Alex glared daggers at Elliott before turning to Casey. "I'm sure it's nothing. The pictures are quite innocuous, so I don't know how it could possibly help their case. In terms of blackmail, I don't even know what they could achieve by doing this."

"It's still unnerving, Alex. Especially if they've hired someone to follow you around like that." Casey trailed off, wondering if the mystery photographer had snapped any pictures of their own illicit love affair…

"Hey, Casey, don't worry. Elliott and I will look into it and check our regular channels. We're in contact with a few PIs who might know who's on Alex's tail." Olivia paused as she turned to the blonde. "We can also send a squad car to sit on your house if you're worried, Alex."

Alex shook her head, smiling slightly, grateful for the concern. "Don't worry about me. I'm sure it's harmless. I just need you guys to help me figure out what's wrong with this case. It might turn out to be a career breaker if I don't play this right…"

"Sure. We'll take another look at it. Since Melinda's back in the ME's office, I'll ask her to review the tox panel on the victim." Olivia wrote something down in her notebook, already gearing up for the challenge. "Is there anything else you remembered that was strange?"

The blonde thought for a moment and went over what she had discussed with Casey last night. They two attorneys had pored over the case details, picking it apart. "Yeah. It's the daughter. I was shocked to hear that the daughter was filling suit since she was never mentioned anywhere in the initial investigation."

"Oh so she doesn't surface when her mother dies, but she does when she sees a chance to sue the city?" Elliott arched an eyebrow, intrigued by the semantics. "I'm on it. I'll dig into her background. What's her name?"

"It's Tracy Jefferson. I'm meeting with her and her lawyers in a few days to deal with pre-trial motions and depositions and whatnot…" Alex sighed, feeling a headache coming on just thinking about it.

"Hey." Olivia reached out, trying reassure the blonde with a calming squeeze of her hand. "Everything will be alright. Let me and Elliott take care of this. Just focus on your defense and let us know if you need anything."

Casey bristled at the sight of the sudden contact, but struggled to hide her flicker of jealousy.

Alex missed the redhead's internal struggle, focusing on the detectives, feeling grateful for the support. "Thanks, Olivia. Elliott."

"Anytime, Alex." Elliott motioned to stand, a sympathetic smile on his gruff exterior. The other women stood as well, and they all moved towards the door.

"Alex." Olivia called out to the blonde and Alex turned, only to be enveloped in a warm hug. "Everything's going to be alright. We're gonna make sure of it." The detective pulled away, lingering only for a moment when she noted that Alex had probably washed her hair early this morning. There was the distinct smell of mint and jasmine, a familiar scent that Olivia had noted on the blonde often.

The group filtered out into the bullpen again, but as a fleeting thought, Elliott wondered something.

"So, is Casey going to be your lawyer?"

It was an innocent question and the detective didn't mean anything by it, but the two attorneys suddenly froze. They both had the inexplicable urge to explain away their closeness, but something erupted in Alex. It must have been her meeting with Jack.

"No, Casey's not my lawyer." Alex paused for a second, looking at Elliott.

"I've just been helping Alex with the case." Casey jumped in, feeling slightly awkward that she had contributed to the discussion without explaining why she was there. She had just assumed that the detectives wouldn't question her presence. "I mean. It's just good to have someone from the DA's office on your side, right? Alex is my friend after all and I just want to do what I can to help." The redhead smiled as she said this, making Alex melt at the sight of the genuine emotion that showed on her face.

"And I'm glad that you're helping Alex with this, Casey." Olivia was touched by the gesture, forgetting for a moment that Casey was under investigation for having the hots for her blonde co-worker.

"You're not the only one, Olivia. I'm really grateful to have all of your help on this." Alex adjusted her glasses, a nervous tic that Casey had picked up on. She knew that the almost perfect Alex Cabot only did that mid-conversation when she was embarrassed.

"It's no problem. You're one of us after all." Elliott smiled in his own gruff Elliott way that showed how much he cared.

"We'll see you two around. Let us know if anything comes up." Alex motioned to leave, with Casey on her heels.

"Will do. You take care of yourself, Alex." Olivia bid her farewells to both women, but something clicked as Casey walked past her. There was a distinct scent, a scent that she had just noticed not too long ago.

It was that same mint and jasmine combination that she had smelled on Alex earlier. She knew it wasn't just a coincidence.

Detective Olivia Benson had just hit a big break and she was itching to tell her partner.

* * *

 **A/N:** Getting swamped with work! I really regret embarking on a multi-chapter project. I can never commit!

And I chose the most convoluted plotline to run with...please forgive me. haha...

Please stay tuned for more. I'll try to write more at a time and just upload a few chapters in one go. In the meantime, thanks for reading and drop me a review if you liked it!

Thanks :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part VIII-**

* * *

"Alex, I have some bad news…"

Casey frowned as she went through the email from Trevor's firm for a second time. "I just got word that the deposition's been postponed…again."

From her position on the couch, Alex looked over to Casey, who sat hunched over the dinner table. The blonde peered up from over her glasses, a quizzical look on her face. "You can't be serious?" Alex put her own laptop down as she made her way to Casey, rounding the table to stand behind the redhead. "I know you've banned me from being my own lawyer, but this is starting to worry me."

Instinctively, Alex wrapped an arm around the younger ADA, leaning in to get a closer look at the tiny words on Casey's screen.

"Mmm." Casey leaned back, bringing a hand up to tangle her fingers in Alex's as she skimmed the email again. "Well, I'm afraid that it's out of both our hands if the other side's playing games. Langan's already trying to get his firm to move things along."

"It's just absurd. I can't believe we can't even go forward with the preliminary hearing. They're probably stalling since they know they don't have enough to bring this to trial." Alex sighed, resting her chin on Casey's shoulder as she distracted herself by fondling the redhead. "I bet this is all just a ploy to monopolize the DA's best prosecutors." Alex's hands were slipping further and further into Casey's top, making the redhead's breath hitch in her throat, shuddering at the feel of the blonde's fingers against her skin.

"Hey!" Casey laughed as she swatted the blonde's hands away. "Alex, working hours, remember?"

Alex smirked, rolling her eyes. "Yes, yes, Ms. Novak. Ingenious idea, by the way…enforcing these 'home office hours' of yours." The blonde released her hold on Casey as she expressed her disdain with air quotes. Alex returned to her original spot on the couch, unable to escape temptation if the younger prosecutor was within reach.

"I wouldn't have to do that if _someone_ had something I'd like to call 'self-restraint'." Casey mimicked the older lawyer, miffed, but slightly amused that Alex of all people even needed that talk. It wasn't like the sex wasn't good. It was great. Mind-blowing even. Even when they weren't rolling around under the covers, Casey realized that being around the older woman was distracting enough.

"Whatever you say, counselor. I'm pretty sure I'm only guilty 57% of the time anyway." Alex said this in a sing-song tone as she got comfortable on the couch, earning her an eye-roll from Casey.

Over the past few weeks, the younger ADA had learned a lot about 'the' infamous Alex Cabot. She was not only an insatiable sex fiend, but she had more of a sense of humor than people gave her credit for. It also gave Casey a sense of satisfaction to know that she was probably one of the few people who saw this side of the usually no nonsense attorney.

A lull in conversation followed, allowing the two lawyers to tap away on their respective laptops. The clacking of computer keys filled the room. This persisted for about ten minutes before Alex let out a sigh, closing the lid on her Macbook. Sneaking a glance At Casey, the blonde lawyer considered her options, taking almost no time at all to go with the decidedly more fun one. With that in mind, Alex stood from the sofa, making a beeline back to Casey, who was proof-reading a long winded motion.

"…in conjunction with the precedent set out by…" Casey read out random parts of the document as her eyes scanned the page. The redhead was so engrossed in the task that she didn't even flinch when Alex invaded her space again. The blonde draped her arms over Casey's shoulders as she tried to distract the prosecutor.

The younger ADA lasted for five minutes, until the weight of Alex's upper body on her shoulders started affecting her posture.

Now slumped in her seat, Casey sighed, craning her head back to look at the blonde who had an infuriatingly innocent smile on her face.

"I know what you're trying to do, Alex, but this brief isn't going to edit itself. I only have-" Casey stiffened as Alex pressed a kiss to her lips, avoiding the issue altogether.

"You have all weekend!" Alex exclaimed as she released Casey, taking a seat beside the redhead instead. Casey was silently fuming, still reeling from the flutter that stirred in her stomach after having a taste of the blonde's lips. "Besides, if it really comes down to it, I could help you finish up if you're behind." Alex let her glasses slide down the bridge of her nose, dropping her voice a bit lower as she dragged her finger across the back of Casey's hand.

The redhead narrowed her eyes at Alex. "Nice try, Cabot, but you know that I would be all too happy to take advantage of your speed reading and fast typing."

Alex threw her hands up in a 'who cares' action, sighing. "I really wouldn't mind, Casey. Especially if that meant I could take advantage of _you_ a bit sooner."

Casey laughed, surprised at Alex's relaxed candor. She was about to save her document and call it a night when…

' _Ding dong'_

Both Alex and Casey turned their heads at the sudden sound, surprised that anyone would be ringing the doorbell at a quarter to midnight. The two women shared a wary glance before approaching the door together.

Alex peered through the peephole, the rim of her glasses clinking against the door. There was no one there.

Brows furrowed, the blonde took a step back, wondering why the event made her feel so uneasy.

"Ding dong ditch? It is Friday. Maybe some kids just got too drunk and didn't know how else to waste their time." Casey laid a hand on Alex's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze to just reassure the woman.

Alex smiled, unconvinced, but left it at that, following Casey back into the living room. It only took an instant for Casey to shut off her laptop. Her hands found Alex shortly after, her lips eagerly seeking out the blonde's. Office hours were officially over thanks to Alex's persistence.

* * *

The next morning, Alex sat at her kitchen table, a cup of freshly brewed coffee raised to her lips as she scrolled through the news on her laptop. It had been a quiet Saturday morning so far, allowing the ADA to carry on with her morning routine without a single interruption. Morning yoga, shower, and now coffee and global events. It was nearing nine, but Casey, of course, was still snoozing away under Alex's blankets. This was one of the many things the two lawyers had come to agree to disagree on after weeks of occasional cohabitation. Casey woke up at the crack of dawn every day except for Saturdays. It was an inborn gift that the redhead wanted to fully embrace. Also, given what time Alex finally finished with Casey last night, it was a wonder that the older ADA still managed to avoid the temptation of sleeping in.

Alex's phone suddenly buzzed on the table, jostling her mid-paragraph through an article about more government budget cuts. Putting down her two sugar no cream coffee, Alex unlocked her phone, skimming the text she just received.

' _Hey, got some updates on the case. Up for a debriefing? Elliott and I are outside with coffee and croissants.'_

Alex smirked at the mention of pastries, amused that Olivia knew her so well. Despite the promise of delicious calories, Alex wondered why today couldn't just be a relaxing sunny day, filled with Casey, breakfast in bed, and maybe food if they were up to it afterwards.

Adjusting her glasses, Alex tapped out a reply, eager to learn more about what the detectives had found, but still reluctant to give up her time off. Putting the phone down, the blonde attorney trudged to the door. Without waiting for the knock, Alex opened her front door, ushering in the detectives who were already half-way up the stairs. Eliott had his hands full with a bakery box and a cardboard cup holder with four cups of coffee. Olivia, on the other hand, was bent over at the waist, picking up a manila envelope off the doorstep.

"Got your mail, Alex."

Alex furrowed her brows slightly at that, but took the somewhat suspicious package from detective. "Thanks…I didn't know they delivered mail on Saturdays." Alex's eyes flashed to Elliott, whose concerned expression told the ADA that they were on the same page.

"Hey, Alex. Casey takes her coffee with one cream and two sugars, right?" Elliott tried to lighten the mood as he shrugged off his jacket while balancing his two parcels.

"Yeah. Good memory, Elliott." Alex replied, slightly distracted as she inspected the unmarked envelope.

"Well, hard to forget really…She almost chewed my head off last week for forgetting the cream…" Elliott frowned as he remembered the sleepy redhead, not even muttering a thanks for the coffee that time.

"Is Casey's apartment still waterlogged?" Olivia asked casually as she helped herself to one of the danishes from the box still in Elliott's hands.

Alex looked up from the envelope at this, a contemplative expression look on her face as she processed Olivia's question. It took a second before recognition settled in, the ADA avoiding an almost 'oh shit' moment. "Oh yeah. They're really taking a while with the repairs, so she's here pretty indefinitely."

"Right." Olivia glanced at Alex briefly, trying to gauge the blonde's expression. They had been friends for so long, but the detective wondered if Alex knew she wasn't fooling anyone. The four of them had been playing this game for weeks now, a really bad game of cover up. Admittedly, Alex's excuses were far more believable than Casey's, but that really was no use if they didn't corroborate stories. According to Alex, Casey was staying at her place because of leaky pipes, but according to Casey, her lack of housing was due to landlord issues.

It was a little unnerving for Olivia, wondering when one of them would finally admit that they were seeing each other. It would save them the trouble of making up new excuses every time they were caught together outside of office hours.

"That another one of those weird packages?" Elliott shrugged off his coat and threw it over the couch before setting the goods down on the kitchen table beside Alex's computer. "It's been a while since you've gotten one of those. Want me to take it back to the lab to have it dusted for prints?"

"No, that's alright. There weren't any prints on the other two, so I doubt we'd be so lucky this time around." Alex furrowed her brows as she shook the envelope. It sounded like photos again. Hesitantly, Alex ripped the packaging open, pouring the contents onto the table.

There was a mix of black and white photos, color photos, and all of them were blown up in size, slightly pixelated. Despite the grainy resolution, there was no doubt about who the people in the photos were supposed to resemble. The nature of the photos was definitely loud enough to speak for itself.

At first, Alex went through the top few pictures without batting an eyelash. They were racy, but mostly benign, saved by the modesty of lingerie. However, as the lawyer went through the pile, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

Each subsequent photo was worse, with compromising not even beginning describe what it was. The blood pounded loudly in Alex's ears, muffling Olivia and Elliott's questions. They were concerned, but the lawyer couldn't hear them. Her attention was on the photos that made it hard to tell where one body ended and where another body began. Drugs, sex, multiple partners… Alex didn't want to see those words plastered next to her name on tomorrow's front page.

Why her? Why Trevor?

Was this the end? Would she have to resign?

What would Jack think of her?

A self-deprecating laugh escaped Alex's lips. She knew it wasn't real. She had never slept with Trevor Langan, but the photos alone could have fooled her. It was enough for reasonable doubt.

"Alex…Alex!"

A few more seconds passed before Alex escaped the dream-like state she was in. Alex looked over, coming face to face with Casey, who was still in her pajamas. She didn't even hear her come in.

Alex's face was blank, her mind unable to process what was happening.

"Alex, talk to me…"

All she saw were Casey's green eyes, so concerned, so frantic, and so…painfully loving.

A different kind of panic settled in.

"Casey…it's not…it's not what you think." The blonde's face was as white as a sheet, the words tumbling out of her mouth, the only thing she cared about at the moment was making sure that Casey wouldn't misunderstand. It was the only clear thought the ADA had in her head and she clung to it, desperate.

Alex's eyes widened as she looked at Casey and then back down at her hands, her nails digging into the edges of the photo she gripped, crinkling the paper.

"Hey, hey…Alex, I know. Don't worry. I know..." Casey offered the blonde a sympathetic smile, a smile that made Alex relax if only for a second.

"I don't know how this could have happened…This wasn't supposed to happen…Trevor and I…we never! I-" Alex's voice started to crack as it rose in volume, the terror peeking through her usually calm and collected façade.

Casey gripped Alex's wrist with a firm gentleness, commanding the blonde's attention. Their eyes met, Casey's calm green with Alex's glassy blue, crackling with growing panic. "Alex, calm down. Everything's going to be alright." The redhead's voice was steady and soothing, rooting the older ADA to reality.

Alex held Casey's gaze for a few seconds, her fears melting away long enough for her rational side to gain control. She looked down at her hands, at Casey's hands around her wrists, at the photo still clutched in her fingers.

Casey could feel the sudden change in Alex's demeanor and she let go.

Alex was back.

"You're…you're right." Alex threw the crumpled photo back onto the table, sighing as she shook her head, resting her hands on her hips.

"Alex…"

It was Elliott this time and Alex looked over to see the concern on every one of her friend's faces, suddenly aware again that she wasn't alone.

"I've never slept with Trevor Langan."

There was no question about Alex's honesty, Casey and both detectives accepting that statement as truth.

"We know, Alex. I know this must be very hard for you…" Olivia offered her best detective Benson sympathy, but Alex wasn't having it.

Alex didn't need sympathy. She needed this to go away. The pictures were damaging, incriminating, and fabricated. That woman that couldn't possibly be her, but her face…that was her face.

"We have to find out who would benefit the most from hurting Alex right now." Casey pondered out loud as she shuffled through the photos on the table, her expression unreadable. She paused slightly longer on one of the more explicit ones, ones that made her feel…especially uneasy. She knew it wasn't real, but the feelings she felt were all too ugly. Jealousy, anger, rage, and disgust.

Olivia and Elliott shared a worried look before Elliott spoke up.

"Well, Alex does have a lot of enemies…Aside from the current case, are you working on anything high profile enough to attract this kind of bad attention?"

Alex crossed her arms, sighing as she thought to herself. "It's really hard to pinpoint any one case…Just last month alone, I put away three different guys for life with no parole."

Olivia put a hand on Alex's shoulder, ushering the lawyer to have a seat on the couch. "Alex, why don't we go through the cases you've been working recently and we'll see if anything stands out."

Alex nodded, catching Casey's quick, but reassuring smile before sitting down with Olivia.

Meanwhile, Casey finally put the pictures down, letting out a long sigh. She was left in the kitchen with Elliott, something weighing heavy on her mind. It was all too eerie to be a coincidence.

"Casey, did you notice anything strange last night or this morning? This was clearly hand delivered." Elliott sat down at the kitchen table, gesturing to the empty chair opposite him.

"Yeah…Someone rang the doorbell around midnight last night. We didn't open the door since we couldn't see anyone through the peephole." Casey took a seat, her thoughts in a jumble, flittering from Alex to Langan, and back to Alex. She knew Alex was hurting, but she couldn't do anything to help. Casey felt useless, angry at herself.

"Did you see a car? Anyone through the window?" Elliott hunched over, his elbows on his knees as he peered into Casey's eyes.

"No, nothing." Casey's mind was far away, trying to piece herself and the situation together. Suddenly, the redhead thought of something. It was a long shot, but she couldn't be sure it wasn't related.

"Elliott, where's the envelope these came in?"

Elliott arched an eyebrow at the sudden franticness in Casey's voice, looking around for a second before he fished out the manila envelope that carried the photos. He handed it to Casey, curious to see what she noticed.

The young ADA's eyes flickered with something unreadable as she took the packaging in hand.

It was identical.

Without a word of explanation, Casey started tearing at the packet.

"Whoa, Casey. What are you doing?" Elliott put his hands out to stop the attorney, but Casey looked up, her eyes telling the detective that she had a reason for ripping up potential evidence.

The redhead continued, carefully ripping along the seams until she split the envelope into a single layered sheet. In the middle of the tattered edges was a piece of paper taped to the inside of the cover.

Casey's eyes lit up at this, her suspicions correct. Standing, she left Elliott sitting at the table as she made her way over to Olivia and Alex just in the adjacent room.

"Guys, I think you'd better take a look at this."

Olivia and Alex turned to Casey who gripped a white piece of paper, a message scrawled messily in red marker.

'THROW THE JEFFERSON CASE AND THESE DISAPPEAR.

IF NOT, SAY GOODBYE, ADA CABOT.'

* * *

"We have to take these to the judge." Trevor groaned as he waved the photos around in his hand for good measure before throwing them back down on his desk. The usually confident man was clearly shaken, visibly worried about the ramifications the photos could have on his standing at the firm. He closed his eyes as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Alex, as your lawyer and your friend, I have to agree with Trevor." Casey tried to reason with Alex, hoping that Trevor would have more influence on the blonde since it was his reputation at stake too.

Now, the two detectives were just watching the same scene unfold that had just happened minutes ago in Alex's living room. Casey was stuck playing the voice of reason again and Alex, was still adamant on finding a more discrete way to fix this.

"We can't. You know what will happen if we expose them. They'll leak it anyway." Alex sighed as she argued with the other two attorneys. She saw the logic in consulting the ruling judge, but that would involve too much risk on so many fronts.

"What other choice do we have? They're obviously stalling with this blackmail so we don't even get a chance to defend ourselves in a preliminary hearing." Trevor threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Maybe if we expose whoever's behind this…maybe then we can gain some leverage." Alex thought to herself, thinking back to the reason why Elliott and Olivia dropped by in the first place. Their debriefing wasn't exactly substantial, but it did raise some red flags. "If we had evidence of blackmail and extortion, we could probably get them to give up the originals and get our motion to dismiss granted."

"I think it'll be a long shot, but that's why we're here, Trevor. Liv and Elliott do have a lead." Casey chimed in, jumping onto Alex's train of thought.

"What lead? My investigators at the firm have been looking into Tracy Jefferson for weeks, but they're hitting a dead end." Langan leaned in, suddenly intrigued.

Casey looked over to Elliott and Olivia who were having a quiet chat by the door. Noticing the sudden lull in conversation, the detectives glanced over.

"Need something, ladies? And Trevor?" Olivia noticed the eyes that were suddenly on them, addressing the silence.

"Yeah, we were just talking about what you found out about the plaintiff. What was the name of the psychiatric institution?" Casey wracked her brain, trying to remember what it was the detectives told them earlier.

"It's a private facility called Rosedale Psychiatric Institute."

Trevor looked confused, wondering what this had to do with their case. "And how is this related?"

Elliott pulled out his notepad, flipping through it before he came to the page he scribbled in earlier. "Tracy Jefferson, 24. Had her juvenile record sealed. It was explicitly stated on the court order that Tracy be committed full-time to New York State Psychiatric. She was recently moved to Rosedale, less than a year ago."

The defense attorney furrowed his brows. "And now she's suing us? From inside a psychiatric facility?"

"Hey, don't ask me. I don't make this stuff up." Elliott said matter-of-factly as he shrugged off the weird look he got from the lawyer.

"That is strange…the Tracy Jefferson my investigator followed from court lives in a fancy high-rise on the south end of the city. That doesn't really fit your description, detective." Trevor said this as he pulled out his phone, texting the new information to his in-house PI.

For the first time in hours, Alex smiled at this, feeling a ray of hope shining through. She stood, placing her hands on the Trevor's desk. "That settles it. We're going with my suggestion and we're going to make those bastards pay."

Casey grinned, glad that Alex was back to some semblance of normalcy.

Trevor smirked, hoping this idea wasn't going to cost him his reputation. "Well, good meeting here, all. If that's it, I'll be getting back to running this place." He stood, heading to the door as he ushered the detectives out of his office. Alex was the last to leave the room, but before the blonde reached the door, Trevor stopped her. "Not you, Cabot. I have some business to discuss with you on that bad pharma case."

Alex sighed, gesturing to Casey who had turned around to see what the hold-up was. The blonde flashed a hand and mouthed '5 minutes' through the glass walls before she retreated back into the room with Trevor.

"Oh, so you guys are serious, hm?" Trevor smirked, resisting the urge to tease the ADA.

"Give it a rest, Trevor. What did you want to talk about?" Alex crossed her arms, not in the mood for his games.

"Lighten up, Cabot." Trevor scoffed before heading to a file cabinet behind his desk, rummaging through the files before pulling out a thick blue folder. He offered it to Alex, who took the documents with a raised eyebrow. "It's ammunition. It'll help with your criminal case."

"I'm pretty sure we're good on that front, but thanks. I'll take a look through it. Once you wrap up the civil side of things, we charge them with all 137 counts of malicious negligence they've got coming to them." Alex smirked just thinking about how well that case was going. She loved bringing down big pharmaceutical companies like ParkTac, ones that thought they could get away with anything with enough money.

"Good to hear. Well, we'll talk soon about the current mess we have. Update me on anything you find out. You have my number."

"Will do. Same goes to you. I'll see you around, Trevor. Good luck with settlement talks on Monday." Alex did a back handed wave as she exited the conference room, catching up to Casey and the two detectives. They were in the lobby, already waiting by the elevators. Once Elliott saw that Alex was back, he pressed the down button, keeping his stride as he continued chatting with Olivia.

"So, what did he want?" Casey asked when Alex came back, trying to act nonchalant about it. She eyed the thick folder in Alex's arms, just a bit curious.

Alex grinned, seeing a flash of green envy show itself in the redhead's question. "Nothing. We were just discussing a mutual case."

"Ah. That mutual case…The case with the bad batch of children's vaccines." Casey nodded in recognition, remembering when that case was the most sought after in the DA's office just a few months ago.

"That's the one." Alex stared straight ahead, waiting for the elevator doors to open. Olivia and Elliott were just in front of them, still deeply engaged in a conversation about whether or not Kathy should finally consider contraception after their umpteenth pregnancy scare. The blonde lawyer snickered as she eavesdropped, throwing Casey a sidelong glance to see if she had picked up on the detective's Catholic dilemma.

To Alex's surprise, she turned to see Casey looking right at her, her green eyes darting away suddenly, embarrassed to be caught staring.

There was a brief silence between them, the lull of Olivia and Elliott filling in the awkwardness.

With the two detective still faced forward towards the elevator, Alex leaned over, whispering in Casey's ear. "You're not upset about the photos, are you?"

Casey's face went beet red at this, not just at the close proximity of Alex's lips or the fact that the blonde's voice sounded smoother than chocolate at that moment. She had been found out. The younger ADA thought she had done a good job of hiding how the photos made her felt, but apparently, she was all but transparent.

"I wasn't upset…I was just put off…I don't think I need that kind of imagery in my head." Casey muttered under her breath. She didn't want to capitalize on her own petty jealousy, hoping the other ADA saw that. Casey added hurriedly, "I was mostly worried about you, you know?

Alex was touched by the redhead's show of honesty, no matter how embarrassing it was. "Well, I could tell you were concerned…" Alex cracked a smile. "And jealous…which really scared me."

"Scared of what?" Casey's eyes widened at Alex's admission, her face turning towards the blonde to see if there was truth in her words.

Alex adjusted her glasses, smiling sheepishly as her blue eyes met Casey's. "Well, I was just scared that you would jump to conclusions …They looked pretty real at first glance."

Casey scoffed. "Yeah right. I know for a fact that those pictures don't do your body nearly enough justice." The redhead's lips curled up into a smirk, relishing the fact that she knew that without a doubt.

Alex grinned, elated that snarky Casey was here to lighten the mood. "Thanks, counselor. You really did save the day though. I was pretty much on autopilot. How did you think to cut the envelope open? It was stupid of them to be so cryptic anyway. What if we had never found the note?"

"Hmmm…" Casey mused aloud, thinking of how to phrase it. "Well, to tell you the truth…I got something similar in the mail just a few days ago. My note was a bit different from yours. It was something along the lines of Alex Cabot not being the woman I thought she was."

With that, the elevator chimed, the metal doors sliding open.

Alex was stuck with her mouth slightly ajar, on the edge of a question as they followed Olivia and Eliott into the elevator. It was concerning to say the least, to find out only now that Casey had been accosted by the same blackmailer. The redhead didn't have to see the blonde lawyer's expression to know what Alex wanted to ask.

"I was going to tell you eventually, but I wanted to wait until I got the security footage from my doorman."

"Security footage?" Olivia butted into the conversation as the two lawyers entered the elevator. Alex and Casey would never know, but the two detectives had been eavesdropping on them for a while now.

"Yeah. I…forgot to mention this before, but I got a package delivered to my building last week, so I asked the front desk for a copy of the security footage. I said it was official police business."

Elliott shook his head, a proud smile on his face. "Oh, Novak. You're a lawyer after my own heart. If only you had told us earlier, I think I'd be mildly impressed."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm no stranger to idle threats. It just took me longer than usual to tie it to anything that was happening to Alex. After all, no one knows about our-" Casey stopped mid-sentence, a look of horror registering on her face. "About our lawsuit. The lawsuit."

The pause gained Casey some weird looks from Olivia and Elliott, but she had caught herself before she said anything remotely incriminating. Alex shot Casey an amused eyebrow raise, as if asking the lawyer if they were really doing this.

Without missing a beat, Casey smirked and carried on. "Alex, I'll drop by your place after I pick up the tape from my apartment."

That was a definite yes that brought a smile to Alex's lips. The absurdity of the situation was suddenly hilarious. Here, Alex faced being disgraced as a prosecutor because of fake sex photos, but they were still worried about two of their closest friends finding about their illicit office romance.

It was only a few points shy of misplaced priorities, but the two lawyers wouldn't have it any other way. Well, maybe the way without blackmail threatening Alex's career, but...they knew they had both been through worse. After all, compared to being shot at by a hired killer, the lawyers were glad that it was just blackmail.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ahhhhh this has been so hard to write. I can't believe how much I have plot development no matter how important it is...It's one of my weakest skills and with the number of chapters I've allotted for this, it might be a bit messy and rushed.

So, think of it as a Casey and Alex love story, with a random case of blackmail thrown in as a side plot. After all, it's going to be a bit anticlimactic if you were expecting a mystery.

Honestly, I excel at angsty drama and the occasional violent things...so bear with me :)

Please review if you liked it!

Thanks :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken arms**

* * *

 **-Part IX-**

* * *

The precinct was fairly quiet, the dull Saturday afternoon saw to it that only a few desk jockeys were present. There was a dull lull of conversation in the room between some beat cops and a few detectives working overtime. Just a few feet away from them were two SVU lawyers, just lounging about. By no means were they out of place there, since most still recognized the two women even though they were out of their characteristic pant suits and miniskirts. However, seeing the two powerful Manhattan ADAs in casual wear seemed to be too much for some of the officers. The whispers and stares were overly obvious and Alex cringed at the crude comments she picked up on. The blonde was used to being the center of attention, but today, it was more than off-putting.

Luckily, Casey was coping much better than the other attorney. She had ignored the strange looks that came their way, deciding to let people think and say whatever they wanted. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult not to feel possessive when all those stares and whispers were directed at her blonde companion. There was a strange predatory feeling to the attention and the redhead ended up glaring at everyone who subjected Alex to that kind of insolence. Soon enough, the novelty of seeing Alex Cabot in a pair of sensible shoes and jeans started to wear off, the stares dying down as the officers went back to work.

"When do you think they'll be done?" Casey rested her elbows on Elliott's desk as she looked over to Alex who had pulled up a chair beside her.

"Hmm. It's hard to say. You gave them the time frame, so that should narrow it down. TARU's good at what they do, so I don't think it'll be too long." Alex mimicked Casey as she put her elbows on the table as well, cocking her head slightly as she stared at the redhead.

"I hope you're right about that…" Casey trailed off as she thought about the whole predicament. There was so much to do, but so much they couldn't do. They weren't detectives. They didn't have the resources to investigate.

"Don't worry, Casey. I'm sure they can manage. After all, Olivia and Elliott are down there. I have faith in them.

Casey nodded at that, but still felt anxious about the footage. They seemed to be on the brink of something, but it was shaky at best. What if it didn't pan out? Sure, they had other leads, but time was running out.

A silence that fell over them, anxiety dampening any chance at a normal conversation, as if they expected the detectives to come back any moment. Coming to an agreement, the two women decided to sit in silence as they pulled out their phones, chatting idly via instant messenger instead as they both killed time on their respective phones.

This reprieve was short lived for Casey as her battery life drained. She didn't charge it last night, leaving it to run on almost empty. After a slew of messages, a few minutes of email checking, and Facebook browsing, the redhead's phone blacked out.

Casey looked over to Alex, jealous that the blonde seemed to be preoccupied with some reading. She wondered if she should bother her, but decided against it.

Sighing, Casey stood, feeling restless. She regretted not going with the detectives to sift through the footage. They said the tech room was small, but being stuck in a small space helping Alex save her career would be better than doing absolutely nothing. At the moment, there really was nothing she could do, so Casey settled on pacing back and forth in front of Olivia's desk, glancing up at the clock every few minutes.

Casey stopped mid-pace, glaring at the clock for the umpteenth time. It was as if she blamed the inanimate object for her dismal iPhone battery. Well, if Casey had to be honest, she did play a few levels of Candy Crush…so maybe that was to blame. The game was stupid anyway, but she gave in because of all the invites that Alex sent her. Sighing again, Casey resumed her pacing, stealing periodic glances at Alex, resisting the urge to pester her.

Unbeknownst to Casey, Alex was enjoying herself. It might have been due to the fact that she had a stable Wi-Fi connection and ample battery, but watching Casey was entertaining enough in itself. The look on the lawyer's face told Alex that she was losing patience. At an alarming rate too.

Alex found Casey's neurotic behavior endearing, since it was a rare sight to see her so out of her element. Also, that look that Casey made when she was concentrating really hard on something was a total turn-on for the blonde lawyer.

Alex bit her bottom lip, trying to stifle the grin that threatened to spread across her lips.

She looked down at her phone again, pretending to read some article she clicked into ages ago. Peering over her glasses, Alex stole another glance at Casey, now admiring how deliciously firm the redhead's backside looked in those tight black jeans.

Alex felt the neck of her sweater become strangely tight and she swallowed her inappropriate feelings as she turned back to killing time on her smartphone.

Suddenly, Casey let out a sigh, attracting Alex's attention once again. The blonde watched intently as the other woman finally took a seat, leaning on Olivia's desk as she crossed her impossibly toned legs. Alex subconsciously licked her lips as she watched Casey crane her neck back slightly, smoothing her hair back with her hand. The sight of the redhead's neck and exposed collarbone through her collared shirt made the blonde lawyer shift uncomfortably in her seat.

Alex shook her head to clear her thoughts, wondering why she was eyeing Casey so hungrily in a public place. It was unnerving to say the least, especially when the blonde wanted to do nothing more than bend Casey over backwards on the desk and take her right then and there.

The imagined scenario flash through her head, making the distance between them unbearable.

Alex stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor with the motion. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her jeans feeling a bit too tight for comfort. Slowly, she approached Casey, who was preoccupied with her dead phone, a frown gracing her fair features.

The blonde prosecutor swallowed with an almost audible gulp, adjusting her glasses nervously as she stood in front of the other woman.

Casey looked up at Alex, her head tilted slightly in question, her green eyes softening as she met the lawyer's gaze.

"What's up, Alex?"

"Casey, honey. Why don't we go grab a coffee? I'm sure they'll let us know once they've run through the footage." Alex reached out, motioning to brush a loose lock behind Casey's ear, but thought better of it at the last minute, coming to rest on her shoulder instead. The blonde smiled unassumingly, almost politely as she made her request.

Casey caught the awkward motion, the slight lilt in Alex's voice. The redhead felt a smirk tug at her lips. She knew that look on Alex's face all too well. It comforted Casey to know that no matter the stressful situation, it was no match for Alex's libido. Or maybe...that's how the blonde attorney coped with stress.

"Well, _sweetie_ , I'd love to do that, but weren't you the one who said Olivia and Elliott would be back soon?" Casey stood from her semi-seated position, coming to stand only inches away from the blonde.

The reaction was subtle, but Casey noticed the way that Alex suddenly tensed, the way her eyes darkened slightly, smoldering. It was just too easy to push the ADA's buttons.

"Well, they've been gone for nearly an hour now. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we just stepped out for a bit. It's getting to be…quite stifling in here." Alex raised her hand to adjust her glasses again, but Casey could tell that the mundane action was all that kept the lawyer from doing something that would be highly inappropriate in their current setting.

This was definitely too much fun, but Casey couldn't let it drag on too long, mostly for Alex's sake.

"You're right. Let's get out of here. I think we can do with a quick coffee break."

Alex and Casey shared a knowing smile and without wasting another minute, they headed down the hall to the elevators.

The two women waited in silence for the elevator to arrive at their floor, their impatience growing as the red numbers ascended slowly.

' _Ding'._

The metal doors slid open and a grin erupted on both their faces. With all the normalcy they could muster up, they walked into the empty elevator. Almost immediately, Alex pressed the button for the ground floor before she jammed her finger against the button to close the doors. She pressed it repeatedly before grabbing Casey and pinning her against the wall. The door slid shut as Alex's lips captured Casey's hungrily, almost desperately.

Casey tangled her fingers in Alex's hair, pulling the taller woman closer against her, moaning into Alex's mouth.

Alex let all her restraint fly out the window as she undid a few buttons on Casey's blouse, giving her more access to the redhead's alabaster skin. The blonde trailed kisses down the front of Casey's neck, letting her teeth gently graze skin, eliciting a pleasant shudder from the woman.

"Alex…"

Casey's breathy exclamation escaped her lips as Alex continued to hit all the sensitive spots that made her legs feel like jelly.

' _Ding'_

The chime rang out through the elevator and although it sounded distant in both attorney's minds, it was loud enough to bring them both back to the horrifying reality that faced them. The elevator had stopped before they reached the ground floor. Clouded by a lapse in judgement, the glaring lack of common sense and miscalculation threw the attorneys into a panic. Alex and Casey darted away from each other immediately, trying to control their ragged breathing before the doors opened. The two women frantically worked at smoothing their mussed up hair, their wrinkled clothes.

Unfortunately, the door opened before any real fix was applied, leaving the two lawyers face to face with Olivia and Elliott.

Casey fumbled as she straightened her blouse, cursing under her breath as she realized that Alex had undone more than one button, leaving the black of her brassiere peeking out ever so slightly.

Alex's usually perfect blonde locks were tousled and disheveled, her rimmed glasses sitting slightly askew on her face. She cleared her throat as she adjusted her glasses, running a hand through her tangled locks. "Ahem...Olivia…Elliott. What a surprise to see you two here."

Alex and Casey realized that the situation was unsalvageable.

Olivia and Elliott realized that the games were finally over. It was a victory of sorts.

"I thought you two would be beside yourselves with anxiety, but…I guess you had other things to preoccupy yourselves." Olivia had a smirk on her face as she rolled her eyes.

Elliott on the other hand, had a slightly embarrassed look on his face and he looked away, scratching his chin sheepishly. "TARU burned us a copy of the cleaned up footage and printed out some head-shots for you to look at." Elliott gestured to an envelope in his hand, slightly averting his gaze from the disheveled lawyers.

The two detectives entered the elevator, pressing the number for the floor that the two attorneys had just come from. There was silence from the two women, no acknowledgement of the results or the private moment that had been interrupted.

"No excuse this time, ladies?" Olivia quipped as she eyed both of them. There was a somewhat triumphant look on the detective's face as she knew that it was time for them to come clean.

"If I said that this wasn't what it looked like, would you believe me?" Casey was beet red as she continued buttoning up her blouse. There was no hiding it now. She was miffed that their lack of self-control lead them to this embarrassing situation, but on the upside, she was glad that it was just Olivia and Elliott and not some cop who had a penchant for gossip.

"Hmm. If you told me that it didn't look like you and Alex just had a pretty hot and heavy make out session in the elevator…I don't think I would believe you."

Both women were silent for a moment, wondering what to say.

Alex adjusted her glasses again nervously. "I guess there's no denying it at this point."

"Yeah, well, I think you guys passed that point a few weeks ago." Elliott smirked, crossing his arms, as if to gloat about their deductive prowess.

"Were we that obvious?" Casey sighed, shaking her head.

Olivia scoffed, wanting to finally get everything off her chest. "Short of acting like newlyweds, yeah. You wouldn't believe the amount of sexual tension in the room with you two…it's kinda overbearing. Between all the looks and touches that you don't think we can see-"

"Alright, alright! We get it. Cat's out of the bag already…" Alex put her hands up in a 'please stop' gesture, feeling her cheeks get warmer with embarrassment.

"It's about time! We made a bet on who'd be the one to spill the beans. I never would have guessed that it'd happen this way though. I thought it would end up being Casey and her terrible lying." Elliott laughed as he said this, wondering who would get the 20 dollars now.

"Ugh, you guys…" Casey rolled her eyes, recovering a bit more now.

' _Ding'._

The detectives shared another laugh as the four of them exited the elevator. Casey and Alex trudged behind, both sharing a somewhat apologetic look as they followed Olivia and Elliott back to their desks.

Elliott dumped the contents of the envelope on his table, picking up the closeups of the perpetrator and handing them to Alex.

"The guy's hat covered his face in most of the camera angles, but we found one that's a little clearer. It's the closest thing we've got to ID him."

Alex furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as she focused on the mystery man's half obscured face. With the grainy resolution and the black and white color, it was hard to tell, but he had a scraggly mustache and goatee that struck a chord somewhere. He looked more than familiar and Alex wracked her brain for the answer. However, she couldn't put a finger on where she had seen him before. Pulling out her phone, Alex snapped a picture of the print-out and attached it to an email.

She hoped that Trevor would have a better idea of who it could be. Alex had an inkling, a gut feeling that he would.

* * *

 **A/N:** Here, have some filler and my standard "I have exams coming up, so I won't be updating all that much" talk. I do have exams coming up and as always, I'll probably be on hiatus for a few weeks? Not like I post that frequently anyway. Well, hopefully, things will start to pick up after this chapter.

I do have a week before I start hardcore studying, so maybe...maybe I'll update again before the month is over! (no promises though).

Thanks for reading and thank you all for your wonderful support! Melts my heart to read your reviews :)

P.S. uploading at 2 A.M. so sorry for the shoddy proofreading! Tomorrow is a study day, so I wanted to get this off my plate tonight instead of letting it fester :P


	10. Chapter 10

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken Arms**

* * *

 **-Part X-**

* * *

"Shit!"

Casey stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor with an ear splitting screech as she frantically grabbed for some napkins. She dabbed at her tan skirt with the wad of paper, but she knew that wasn't going to do anything for the darkening coffee stain.

"Oh, hon…Here."

Across the table, Alex stood as well, handing the redhead a few more napkins as she tried to help. As Casey continued to assess the damage, the blonde threw a few tissues onto the table, soaking up the coffee that had flooded the surface, working its way through the mostly empty plates. As much as Alex had winced when cup overturned, she couldn't help but relish the sight of Casey being all flustered. She would never tell the redhead that, but it was one of her guilty pleasures.

"Augh…Thanks, Alex, but I think my skirt's pretty much a goner." Casey laughed weakly as she threw down the towel, almost literally as she helped Alex mop up the mess she made on the tabletop.

"Do you want to borrow my spare suit? I just got it back from the cleaner's and it's hanging in my office." Alex offered almost immediately, desperate to help Casey de-stress. "It's the black Armani one with the tapered pants." She added as she turned her head to scan the restaurant for the waitress who had disappeared out of sight.

There was a pause as Casey processed the sentence. "No, no. It's okay. I'm due in court with that idiot, Taft. He already warned me a few times about not wearing skirts to court. He definitely taxed me last time by overruling all my objections…" Casey sighed, shaking her head as she sat down again. The remnants of her lunchtime coffee were still dripping off the edge of the table, pooling on the linoleum floor.

"I really don't know why you keep butting heads with that misogynist. It must be fate that you're the one dealing with his first case back in criminal court."

"Yeah, it's just not my week. Banishing him to civil court wasn't an easy task…not sure if I have the time or the energy to do that again." Casey had a blank look on her face as she said this, actually contemplating if that was possible.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to deal with it for now. I'll let my assistant know you're coming to borrow my suit and she'll let you in." Alex finally gave up on finding their waitress, fishing out her phone instead as she pulled up her contacts.

Casey put out a hand to stop Alex, shaking her head. "It's alright. I'll just drop by your place and change into one of my spares. I'm pretty sure a twenty minute walk is better than fighting to get Taft to recuse himself again."

"Are you sure?" Concern was all over Alex's face, feeling irrationally responsible since she was the one that suggested they go out for lunch. "Do you want me to come with you?" She felt especially guilty that she had pulled Casey out of the office for such a mediocre meal.

Casey's face flushed a light pink as she smiled, touched that the older attorney would offer. "I know you have that pharma warrant in an hour, so I'm not going to spoil your fun and ask you to baby me. Besides, I think it'd be too tempting to have you alone in the middle of the day." The redhead's sentence ended with a teasing lilt in her voice.

Alex laughed, the laughter crinkling her eyes slightly. "Is that an invitation, Casey? I'm sure Liv and Elliott will be fine on their own. I'd never pass up a chance to spend more time with you." The blonde fixed Casey with a gaze that told her that her words were nothing but sincere.

"I'm touched, Alex, but really, go. You've been looking forward to busting their asses all week." Casey smirked, full of pride for the blonde lawyer. "It'll be a good distraction from all this lawsuit bullshit we've been dealing with."

Again, Alex laughed, finding Casey's considerate candor more than refreshing. They were both frustrated with all the lack of progress in identifying their mystery delivery man.

"You're right. I guess it'll be a good pick-me-up…It's just can't believe that even with the NYPD at our disposal, we can't track down that guy. It's just...disheartening that we could turn things around if we knew who he was." Alex let out a sigh, wondering if that was actually true or if she was just being optimistic.

"Have faith in our friends. Liv's hitting up her old PI contacts and I'm sure they'll find him." Casey smiled reassuringly as she stretched out her hand, laying it on top of Alex's.

"I guess there's still time before the preliminary hearing."

"That's the spirit." Casey grinned as she watched Alex concede rather unwillingly. "Now, where's that damn waitress. I swear I saw duck out more than 20 minutes ago…" The redhead glanced around somewhat impatiently, annoyed at the lack of service.

"Hey, why don't you go ahead? You're in more of a rush than I am." Alex returned Casey's earlier gesture, taking the redhead's hand in her own as she laced their fingers together.

"Agh…" Casey pondered for a moment, glancing at her watch while secretly reveling in the feeling of Alex's skin against hers. "I think I'll take you up on that. I'm already cutting it pretty close." Casey moved to stand, but kept their hands together, walking over to Alex.

The two women shared a smile for a few seconds, before Casey bent down and pressed her lips against Alex's cheek.

The blonde's eyes darted around briefly, slightly self-conscious, but the restaurant was empty, the waitress still missing.

"I'll see you tonight, Alex."

"Yeah, I can't wait."

With that, Casey let her hand linger for a moment longer before grabbing her briefcase and turning towards the door.

Watching the redhead's back as Casey disappeared out the door and down the sidewalk, Alex felt silly. There were butterflies in her stomach, but she didn't know why. The gesture was so chaste and innocent, but Alex raised a hand to her cheek, the skin still red hot from the contact that Casey's lips made earlier.

* * *

Casey sighed as she closed the door behind her, still trying to catch her breath. The twenty minute leisurely walk turned into a ten minute speed walk because of the rising paranoia that she would be late for court. Wiping the layer of light perspiration from her forehead, Casey leaned against the wall in the foyer for a few seconds, her mind blank, her breathing still erratic.

Alex's brownstone was quiet, the cleaning lady not due for another few hours. After a few more seconds of zoning out, Casey glanced at her watch again, the anxiety getting the best of her.

Kicking off her high heels quickly, Casey set her briefcase down in the den before she padded along the hardwood floors in her pantyhose clad feet, making a beeline for Alex's bedroom as she mounted the stairs two by two.

Once Casey entered Alex's bedroom, she stripped off her blazer and skirt hurriedly, throwing her jacket onto the bed she had made this morning. Her skirt was quickly unzipped and she let the garment just fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Stepping out of the skirt, Casey opened Alex's enormous wardrobe, the sight of the older ADA's usual outfits bringing a smile to her lips. Each one reminded her of a time she had struggled to resist Alex's charms either in court or at the office. Rummaging through the closet, Casey's thoughts wandered.

Her eyes widened as she spotted the ensemble that Alex was wearing the night they both tumbled their way into the ER. She hadn't seen Alex wear that one in a while. A chuckle threatened to escape Casey's lips, but she abruptly stopped herself. Shaking her head, the redhead sighed, knowing she didn't really have the luxury of time here.

Now, where was that navy blue ensemble she knew she left at Alex's…?

Casey found the outfit within seconds and busied herself with pulling on the skirt bottom and throwing the blazer over the light blue shirt she was wearing. Closing the wardrobe doors, Casey looked in the full length mirror, tucking in her shirt tails and preening for a few moments, fixing her hair and adjusting her clothes. She paused as she noticed her makeup was smudged; her mascara had tracked onto her cheeks during her speed walk. Hurrying into Alex's ensuite bathroom, she made use of the blonde's collection of French-made cosmetics. It took almost no time at all, but yet again, Casey's mind wandered. She found it strange how comfortable she felt in a place that wasn't her own.

She found it strange that Alex became such an integrated part of her life.

Finishing off with a fresh coat of red lipstick, Casey walked back into the bedroom. For a moment, she just stood there, reveling in the warmth she felt in Alex's house. Everything around her reminded her of the lawyer, the décor, the colors, and the scent of her shampoo.

It felt like home.

A stupid smile worked its way onto Casey's face as she entertained that thought, but her stupor was short lived as a sound caught her attention.

' _Shckk'_

The redhead's ears perked up at the sudden distinct sound she knew to be the front door opening. It was faint, but she was on the second floor after all. Was it Alex?

Glancing at her watch, Casey furrowed her eyebrows. Unless Alex decided to let Liv and Eliott serve the warrant, there was no way she could be here. The pharmaceutical company, ParkTak, was in the core of downtown Manhattan, a nightmare to get to from here.

Fishing out her cellphone, Casey checked her messages as she tiptoed out into the hallway. The lawyer was apprehensive, something in her gut telling her that it wasn't Alex.

 _No new messages._

She put her cellphone away, stuffing it into the shallow pocket of her blazer. Swallowing her anxiety, the lawyer, crept down the hall, peering down the stairwell.

There was no one there. The door was closed, the bolt turned horizontally to its locked position.

Casey let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, retreating back into Alex's bedroom as she quickly picked up her skirt off the floor. She wanted to just chalk up the sound to her imagination, but it was so clear and vivid that she couldn't have been mistaken… She opened the closet again, taking out an empty hanger as she hung up the jacket top she had thrown on the bed earlier.

She tried to push the thought out of her mind.

Skirt in hand, Casey made a mental note to remember to send off her dry-cleaning this week, instead of leaving it on her couch like she had this week.

The redhead walked out into the hallway again, descending the stairs and trying to ignore her earlier apprehension. She reached the living room where she had left her briefcase. Casey motioned to pick it up, but as she was bending over, she felt something slip out of her pocket. It was too late before she realized it was her cellphone. It tumbled out of her jacket pocket, hitting her briefcase before falling to the floor with a clatter.

There was a strange atmosphere in the air and Casey turned, quickly gathering her things.

' _Creak'_

Casey swallowed, feeling something like fear lodge itself in her throat.

"Alex? Is that you?" The redhead felt the stupidly brazen side of her come out, feeling her feet take a few steps towards the kitchen where she heard the sound. She rounded the drywall partition and was left standing in an empty room.

Casey was greeted with silence and she gripped the handle of her briefcase tighter.

"I really hope that you haven't chosen this really inopportune time to start playing pranks on me." Casey called out, in the off chance that it was the blonde ADA. Casey knew it wasn't Alex, but there was always a chance she was wrong. However, no matter how much she convinced herself that it must have been her blonde girlfriend playing a practical joke on her, Casey couldn't see the straight laced Alex Cabot doing that.

The redhead scanned the empty expanse for a few more moments, but broke her stare with a glance at her watch. As fun as this was, she was going to be late for court. She turned towards the door, but paused before she reached the foyer. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she needed some sort of reassurance. After a moment of contemplation, Casey stood in the living room and took out her phone again, pressing the speed dial for Olivia's personal line.

After a few rings, the call connected with a click.

" _Casey, what's up?"_

"Sorry to bother you, Olivia, but I think there might have been an attempted B&E at Alex's. I'm probably being paranoid, but…"

" _Are you at Alex's right now?"_

"Yeah, I just came over to grab a change of clothes, but I feel like something's not right, so I'm probably going to stay for a while. I don't know if you can send a uni over just to check it out?"

" _Sure. I'll get on that. We're in the middle of serving that warrant right now, but I'll radio someone to drop by. There should be a few patrol cars around."_

"Thanks. I know it's stupid. "

" _Don't worry about it. You can never be too careful. Make sure the door's locked."_

"Yeah, will do, Oliva. I'll talk to you later."

" _Take care, Casey."_

Casey ended the call, wondering if she could make it to court on time. She still had forty minutes and if she caught a cab-

Casey's ears suddenly perked up at the sound of footsteps behind her. It was loud, fast, and all too real this time. The lawyer spun around, but was caught off guard as something hard slammed into the side of her head. A crack resounded, pain shooting across her face and then nothing.

Just darkness.

Her limbs went slack, her briefcase falling to the ground with a loud thud, followed by the sound of her body hitting the floor as pure blackness invaded her consciousness.

* * *

"In here too, you guys. Take everything."

Alex barked out orders as men and women filed out of the elevators and into the offices. The startled employees resisted half-hardheartedly before the sight of guns and badges made them realize the gravity of the situation.

"Laptops, files, notebooks. Whatever you can get your hands on, this warrant covers it all."

It was only a matter of time before there was a line of suits standing awkwardly against the walls, grumbling amongst themselves. Most of them probably figured that they weren't paid nearly enough to risk getting arrested for obstruction. Minutes passed as Alex stood in the corridor, watching through the offices' glass walls as the NYPD's yellow logo swarmed the space.

A small smirk worked its way onto the blonde lawyer's lips and for the first time in weeks, she felt a sense of accomplishment, instead of the usual frustration.

Pharmaceutical companies were the worst offenders, especially when they had deep pockets that could afford the biggest scumbag defense lawyers money could buy. One thing that Alex learned over the years was that money was definitely the best defense. Money was good at getting criminals off scot-free, and money was terribly good at stonewalling the DA's office.

However, no amount of money could protect a company against a whistleblower and that's exactly what Alex had to give her an advantage. It took a hell of a lot of hand-holding and some help from Trevor's firm, but they finally got the warrant to go through. It was only a matter of time before the CEO and everyone involved with the botched vaccines were indicted.

"Alex, I didn't know you were so eager to see me. Did you time it so we'd run into each other or something?"

Alex turned at the sound of a familiar voice, greeting her in that familiarly obnoxious way.

"Trevor, how was your meeting?" The blonde lawyer smartly disregarded Trevor's comments, not really in the mood for any of that useless banter. Alex eyed the tall man, wondering why he didn't look exactly pleased at the moment.

"It was a bust. Park invited me here himself to personally waste my time." Trevor sighed as he adjusted the lapel on his coat. "There was no deal. He completely refused the settlement offer and came back with a few counter suits as well."

"That's rough. I guess you'll be settling this in court with the DA's office."

"I don't know if our clients want to do that, but if you're going ahead with a criminal trial, we can coordinate strategies so the victims get the full payout from damages even if our side doesn't go to trial."

"Sounds fair enough. I know that with this warrant, we can find the missing pieces. It's all thanks to your help anyway, Trevor." Alex's tone was a bit over the top even for an act, feeling strangely antsy. She had just realized that since Trevor's meeting was over, it was likely that the company's CEO was due for a visit soon. There were rumours about ParkTak's founder, a 3rd generation Korean traditionalist who had the propensity to take things into his own hands. He didn't have a lot of enemies for a reason and not a lot of people were willing to get on his bad side. The things she had heard about him were unnerving, but she was sure he wouldn't try something in a room full of cops.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't flatter me too much, Cabot. I can see that complimenting me isn't really agreeing with you."

Alex couldn't help but smirk, but left it at that.

"So any luck on your end with the mystery man?" She shifted gears quickly, wanting to talk about it for a while, but figured that she had to get the niceties out of the way first.

"No, nothing. He does look familiar though. I think that facial hair throws me off. It's probably fake, you know?" Trevor stared off blankly into the offices before them, watching the movement of the police officers as they piled things into storage boxes.

"Hmm…I've been thinking that too. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't put my finger on it. It's a hell of a dead end…" Alex crossed her arms against her chest, feeling the urge to bite her lower lip. It was a habit that she had grown out of, but something was eating away at her. It was a strange anxiety that welled up inside her suddenly, quite unfamiliar to the ADA.

The elevators behind the two lawyers suddenly chimed, signalling the arrival of a new party.

Both Alex and Trevor turned, watching the flashing numbers on the elevator display. Before the doors opened, Trevor sighed.

"That must be the boss man himself now. I don't think there's anyone else with an office on the 28th floor."

Sure enough, the metal doors slid open and a stern looking man stepped out of the elevator.

Alex's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the sight, caught off guard at the discrepancy in what she had expected. Samuel Park was a large, well-built man, clad in a fitted black pinstripe suit with a thick blue tie against a crisp white shirt. He resembled more of a bodyguard for the Korean mafia than a millionaire CEO. His well-groomed beard gave off the impression that he could definitely play the villain with no trouble at all. All he needed was an eyepatch to finish off the look.

He exited the elevator alone, stepping out onto the floor and walking past Alex and Trevor. There was an air of authority around him as he scanned the floor, narrowing his eyes at the bustling police activity. He ran a hand through his pepper and salt grey hair, sighing as shook his head at the sight of his employees cowering in the lobby.

Turning, he acknowledged the presence of the two lawyers, fixing Alex with a cold stare. He took a few large strides towards the two, his fists clenching and unclenching at his side.

"Mr. Langan and…Ms. Cabot, I presume." Park quickly gave Alex a once-over, almost struggling to hide his sneer. His contempt was seeping through; no amount of professionalism could hide that fact. It was understandable in a way, since he stood to lose his whole livelihood and was faced with potential jail time. It would have been stranger if he welcomed the ADA with open arms.

"That's right. We're here to seize any and all work product related to the MMR vaccines you distributed last March. This warrant covers-"

"I'm quite confident that you have the correct paperwork, Ms. Cabot. I'm sure you're not the type of lawyer to lie about having a viable search warrant." The man was curt with his response, cutting Alex off before she finished.

The blonde was slightly taken aback, certain that his statement was a jab at the fact that she was suspended years ago for doing exactly that. It was an entire lifetime ago, but it was still something of a sore spot for the ADA.

However, Alex wasn't so easily rattled. She recovered quickly.

"I'll assume you have no questions about the warrant then, Mr. Park. I'll be looking forward to seeing you and your lawyers in court. Our lab will be conducting the investigation and you will be able to retrieve your property from us at a later date." Alex whipped out a business card, holding it out to Park as she met his eyes with an equally confident look. She didn't back down, determined not to succumb to his petty show of intimidation.

There was a moment of silence between them, the man's piercing black eyes boring into Alex's with a controlled sort of rage.

"Very well."

He took the card from Alex's hand, putting it into his trouser pocket. Park broke eye contact with the blonde as he turned towards the elevators again.

As he turned away, Alex caught a glimpse of a smirk tug at his lips, piquing her curiosity.

"I will be in touch with both you and Mr. Langan." He said this without turning to the two, a dismissive end to their brief meeting.

With that, the man was gone, disappearing into the elevator.

"Quite a character, isn't he?" Trevor shook his head, looking over to Alex who was still staring at the elevator doors.

"Yeah…he is. I've never had someone be so rude, but still be cordial at the same time."

"Right. I don't know what part of that exchange was cordial, but I'm going to leave you to your fun, Alex. We'll talk later, alright?"

"Sure. You can have your secretary set up a time with my office."

"Great. I'll see you later. Say hi to Casey for me, will you?" Trevor left with a wave and a smirk as he said this, receiving an eye roll from Alex in reply.

With a few seconds, another elevator arrived on the floor and the defense lawyer was gone, leaving Alex alone in the lobby.

The blonde ADA was still slightly fazed from the brief meeting, unused to dealing with a person who displayed such disinterest, but was filled with so much hostility. Alex stood there for a few minutes, her eyes glazing over as she pretended to be surveying the search. She took a few steps forward, thinking about finding Olivia and Elliott to tell them about what happened.

However, Alex didn't get too far before the two detectives themselves rounded the corner, making their way towards the lawyer. Olivia and Eliott were walking briskly towards her, a serious expression on both their faces.

"Hey, Liv-" Alex started, but trailed off, realizing that something was wrong.

"Alex, I need you to stay calm." Olivia closed the distance between her and Alex, reaching out a hand as she placed it on Alex's shoulder, gently ushering her towards the elevator.

"What's wrong? Did you guys find something?" Anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach and she wondered if that was why Park was so complacent with the search. Did he set something up?

"No, the search is going well…but I just got a call." Olivia hesitated before she continued, pressing the down button on the elevator as she paused. "It's Casey."

"Is she here? Did she find something out?" Alex was unsure how Casey played into everything, feeling the anxiety grow, welling up inside her.

Alex glanced back at Elliott who had a sympathetic look on his face, trying to hold back his emotions in a way that filled the blonde with even more concern. Her friends were acting strangely, bracing Alex for the worst.

"Are we going somewhere, Olivia? I don't care what kind of threat Park's set up, but that's grounds for further legal action." Alex took a step back, stepping out of Olivia's slight hold.

There was a brief silence, the elevator chime interrupting the quiet.

Olivia took a deep breath, as if to ready herself.

Alex tensed at the action, her heart starting to pound in her chest.

"Casey's been rushed to the hospital. There was a break-in at your apartment."

The metal doors slid open with an audible groan, but the sound was drowned out in Alex's ears, Olivia's words still processing in her mind. At the moment, all the lawyer could think was that it was all her fault.

If she hadn't asked Casey out to lunch, none of this would have happened. If she had only gone with her, she would still be alright.

Alex swallowed hard, her mind abuzz with guilt, unable to think clearly. The only thing she knew for sure was that if anything happened to Casey, she didn't know if she would be able to live with herself.

* * *

 **A/N:** Exams are rough haha...I had this written a while ago, but was missing a few things here and there. Not sure when I'll be able to update again given my schedule, but maybe I'll have some time in between my exams. These two months are going to be hellish for me, but I find that writing is a good way to de-stress.

So, expected update date for C **hapter 11** :

 ** _May 7-13_**

Thanks for reading and I swear I'll try to wrap this up soon. Kinda dragged it out way too long. Review if you enjoyed the random filler!

Thanks :)

P.s. forgive my shoddy editing and stuff. Haha...


	11. Chapter 11

**Lawyers, Drinks, and Broken Arms**

* * *

 **-Part XI-**

* * *

Alex felt the smell of antiseptic hit her first as she stepped through the automatic doors of the emergency department. She paused at the entrance, her eyes darting around the sea of bustling hospital staff and unattended patients milling around in the waiting room. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, but the usually confident ADA was suddenly at a loss for words, unable to think about what she should be doing next.

For one, she wasn't here on business and that fact alone made Alex all that more lost.

Fear hit her head on, the whole morbid atmosphere playing into her worst nightmares. It was different from the time she rode in the ambulance with Casey to the hospital. The redhead had still been conscious that time. Not coherent, but definitely conscious. Now, Alex had no idea what to expect. Was Casey alright? Was she in surgery?

 _Was she still alive?_

The most horrible thoughts came to mind, her experience as a sex crimes ADA just adding to the catastrophizing.

 _Did something happen to Casey to have SVU involved?_

 _It was a break-in. How long had the assailant stayed with Casey before the police showed up?_

"Alex, are you alright?"

A hand jolted the blonde lawyer out of her thoughts and she looked over to Olivia who had nothing but concern on her face. "Why don't we find out which room she's in?" The detective gestured to the registration desk.

"R-right." Alex felt her breathing come in ragged breaths, struggling to keep her composure. It took a few shaky steps before the lawyer made it to the nurse's desk, clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Casey Novak."

The portly woman sitting at the computer glanced up at the two women from over her rounded glasses, arching her eyebrows as if to ask why.

Olivia stepped up a little closer, flashing her badge as she leaned on the counter. "It's police business. She should have come in about an hour ago by ambulance with a police escort."

At that, the nurse conceded and Olivia though she almost saw the woman roll her eyes.

"She's in bed 45C. Just down the hall, third on your left."

"Thanks."

Alex bolted off with another word, giving into her slowly growing panic as her legs carried her down the corridor with Olivia trailing behind her.

"Alex, wait!"

The blonde maneuvered her way through the narrow hall cluttered with people and empty stretchers, her heels clacking obnoxiously as she quickened her pace. It wasn't long before Alex reached room 45, a small section partitioned off by a few flimsy curtains. She paused before she walked in, the room abuzz with conversation, a doctor and a few nurses standing in between one of the curtains discussing their patient. Alex peered over, catching a glimpse of a person lying in the bed who definitely wasn't Casey. She moved past them quickly, heading to the inner part of the room. The curtains were drawn around the last few beds and she called out, trying to hide the apprehensive waver in her voice.

"Casey? Casey, are you in here?"

There was a slight pause, but Alex's question didn't go unanswered for long.

"Alex? Is that you?"

A wave of relief washed over the blonde once she heard the other woman's voice and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

The curtain at the inner end of the room scraped along its metal rail and Alex whirled around to come face to face with Finn, clad in his usual leather jacket-business casual wear.

"Cabot, that you?" The detective gave Alex a worried, but slightly judgemental look in his usual manner. "You look worse than Novak over here."

Offering a weak smile, Alex chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I guess it's been a rough week." The tall blonde took a few steps towards Finn and the hospital bed. A real smile spread across her lips as she locked eyes with an equally ragged looking Casey sitting up against the bedframe. A dark stain had seeped through her light blue shirt, dyeing it a dark blue. The blood stain spread from her collar down to her chest. Smudges of red still visible along the nape of Casey's neck where the nurses must have hastily wiped away the blood.

Coming a few steps closer, Alex's smile faltered, seeing the quickly darkening discoloration on Casey's right brow, her eye and cheek starting to swell. A bulky pad of gauze was taped to the side of her head, covering a good part of her right forehead.

"Hey…how are you holding up?" Alex closed the distance between them almost instantly, taking a half-seat on the space beside Casey on the bed. The blonde felt for Casey's hand, feeling the redhead clasp their fingers together tightly. There was a silent desperation in Casey's eyes as she looked up, her face ashen white, her lip split and bleeding slightly.

Alex felt her heart ache.

Casey tried to smile, but managed a half grimace instead, wincing at the pain any movement in her face gave her. "Been better. Definitely not the worst, but they say I probably have a broken cheek and maybe a fractured eye socket."

"I'm so sorry…If it weren't for me…" Without thinking, Alex raised a hand, cupping Casey's left cheek, gingerly stroking the redhead's face.

Finn watched the scene in silence, arching an eyebrow to himself at Alex's overly friendly gesture. There was a strangely intimate atmosphere in the room and the detective didn't know if his senses were deceiving him.

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for any of this. I was just being stupid. I should have left the house if I really suspected anything." Casey laughed weakly, convincing herself that it was just some freak happenstance.

"I still can't help but feel responsible. I mean I'm the one who spilled the coffee on you and I'm the one who-"

"Alex."

With that, the blonde lawyer stopped. Casey had fixed her with a glare that said she was winning this argument regardless of the facts.

"Yeah, it was the middle of the day. That's prime time for burglars, you know? I think you just struck out with that violent son of a bitch. You bled so much you almost gave me a heart attack…Thought you were a goner." Finn gestured with his hand to his own head as he leaned against the wall, trying to feign indifference, but both lawyers knew he was concerned. "It wasn't anything like last time someone beat your ass, but you should probably get a bodyguard if this is gonna keep happening."

Casey grimaced again, another attempt at a smile, but decided that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. It wasn't like she was accident prone or an easy target or anything, but…at this point, it was highly debatable. She still remembered the event Finn was talking about, the time she was in hospital for almost a week, having to use a crutch for a few months after. The sympathy she got from jurors and judges helped her cases at the time, but there were some downsides to not being able to climb stairs.

It was at that point that Olivia had finally caught up, slightly annoyed at Alex's disappearing act. On the way over, she was nearly run down by a few stretchers.

"Alex."

Olivia came into view, the curtain still open. Finn looked over, acknowledging Olivia's presence with a nod.

Sighing, Olivia smiled with relief, glad to see that Casey was awake. When the officers radioed her earlier, the report made it seem like Casey was in critical condition. The detective made her way around to the far side of the hospital bed.

"Elliott wanted to come see you right away, but one of us had to wrap up the search and seizure. He is really worried about you though." Olivia gave Casey's hand a gentle squeeze.

Again, with another grimace, Casey squeezed Olivia's hand back. "I know. I remember how he was the last time this kinda thing happened."

"Yeah…"

"I really need to thank you, Liv. I don't know where I'd be if the officers hadn't found me in time." Casey paused, sensing a change in Alex's demeanor. The blonde lawyer had suddenly tensed, catching the redhead's attention.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Casey." Olivia's voice adopted her usual motherly tone, making the redhead feel slightly embarrassed with all the attention.

"Thanks, but I guess I should be smarter about things next time. If I were in a horror movie, I'd probably one of those side characters who gets offed in the first thirty minutes." Casey managed a weak chuckle, but instantly regretted it, her face aching with the movement.

Olivia and Finn smiled, knowing that Casey was going to be alright if she was already cracking bad jokes about almost dying. Alex, however, had a stern expression on her face.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go back to the crime scene to see what CSU's picked up." Fin left his perch by the wall, stuff his hands into his pockets as he nodded to Alex. "Cabot, you want a ride home? Maybe grab some things so you can stay with a friend for a few days."

Alex looked at Finn with a blank expression, but snapped back to reality when she realized the detective was asking her a question. "No, that's alright. I'll drop by later. I'm just going to stay here with Casey until she gets discharged, but thanks, Finn."

There was a slight pause, but Finn shrugged. "Alright. You two take care of yourselves." The cryptic detective waved a goodbye to Alex and Casey, noting that their hands were still clasped tightly together on Casey's lap, but gestured to Olivia. "Liv, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The two detectives walked a good distance away from the two lawyers, leaving them in semi privacy.

"Am I missing something here?" Finn gestured off-handedly to what was behind the curtains, genuinely curious, but also concerned. He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I think…you'll catch on sooner or later. It's not really my place to comment on it." Olivia looked a bit flustered at the question, but avoided it with tact.

"Right, right. That's cool." Finn nodded in understanding as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He was brimming with questions, but he knew it was neither the time nor the place for that kind of thing.

"What was the scene like? Did you find anything odd about the break in?" Olivia was suspicious from the get-go, wondering if the blackmail was related.

"There were no signs of anything missing. The perp tossed the place to make it look good, but a ton of valuables were still lying around. Something just doesn't feel right about this."

"Finn, someone's been after Alex. They might have been trying to get to her instead of Casey."

"Damn. Any ideas who it is? The scene was clean. There weren't any usable prints on the weapon used to knock Casey out. The scumbag wore gloves." Finn look troubled, but tried to hide the fact that he was a bit annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"How did he get in? Alex's place has pretty sturdy doors and a state of the art alarm system." Olivia was getting more convinced by the second that this had something to do with the blackmail.

"Yeah, that's the thing. The phone line was tampered with, so even though the alarm was tripped, the signal didn't get to the call center."

"And the weapon?"

"It was a wooden chopping board. The corner of the board pretty much split her head open. CSU's snapping some pictures of the scene, so they'll be ready when we get back."

Olivia sighed, shaking her head as she wondered how this could have happened.

"Girl's got a thick skull, you know? Doctors said that she's lucky that the breaks weren't worse or else they'd have to operate."

"Yeah, I don't know if Casey's lucky or unlucky. She's had so many strange run-ins recently. I'm pretty sure she took a bad tumble down a flight of stairs a few months ago too."

"That's some bad karma there."

"Yeah, I don't know if that's enough to explain everything…but thanks for taking care of her, Finn. I know today was your day off."

"Hey, Casey's one of us. There's no way I'd take that kinda thing lying down." Finn nodded as if to emphasize his words.

"Of course. I'll see you back at the station then?"

"Yeah, and tell Cabot to look after herself, will you? She was white as a sheet when she came in. I thought she was gonna go and faint on me. I don't think we need any more ADAs in the hospital this week."

Olivia chuckled, having exactly the same concern when she told Alex the news. "Will do. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again, Finn."

With that, the detective took his leave. Olivia was left standing in the middle of the room, debating whether or not she should check on Casey again. Glancing back at the semi-drawn curtains, she decided that she'd give the two some privacy for a while. After all, she did need to let Elliott know that everything was okay on her end. Deciding to do that, Olivia left the room to find a place to phone her partner.

While Olivia and Finn took their police business out of earshot, the two lawyers sat in silence for a few minutes.

Alex had a pensive look on her face, her fingers tracing a pattern lazily on the back of Casey's hand.

"Are you sure you don't need to go with Finn, Alex?"

Casey's question hung in the air, unanswered for a few seconds before Alex looked up.

The blonde smiled weakly, almost apologetically as she shook her head. "No. I'm sure they can handle everything there. I want to make sure you're alright first."

"I…" Casey started, wanting to fight Alex on this, but thought better of it. She wanted the other woman here with her. She could deny it all she wanted, but the calming effect Alex's presence had was unmistakable. With the blonde at her side, Casey felt like nothing was impossible. Sure, she was waiting for the doctors to rule out a traumatic brain injury, but aside from that, the redhead knew that since Alex was here, things were going to be alright.

"I want to stay with you, Casey. I…I just don't want to let you out of my sight right now…" Alex grit her teeth together, feeling regret and anger flush through her. There was guilt as well, but it settled in her stomach, refusing to leave.

"Alex…I-I'd like that. I do want you here." Casey sighed as she leaned against the blonde attorney.

Alex shifted slightly, gesturing for Casey to move over as she climbed onto the hospital cot with the redhead. They two women lay on the bed, propped up against the metal frame and the endless pillows, staring at their shoes. Casey's were blood stained and scuffed, earning her a grimace from Alex.

Casey nestled closer to Alex, but was wary of getting blood on the lawyer's presumably expensive blazer. After settling on a position, Casey closed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion sink in.

The buzz of hospital machines and idle chatter filled the room, but there was silence between the two. It was comforting in a way, making Alex hesitate to break the calm. However, she knew it was for the best. It was a decision she had no regrets making, especially if it would spare Casey from being collateral damage.

"Case, I'm going to ask Jack to settle that malpractice claim. I…think it's the only way to stop this."

Casey sat up at that, wondering if she imagined Alex saying those words. She had been drifting off to sleep and she wasn't sure what was real.

"Alex, you can't." The redhead furrowed her eyebrows with all the strength she could muster up, feeling the slight effort take a toll on her.

"I just want to get them to leave me alone, to…not involve the people I love."

Casey flinched at the latter part of Alex's sentence, feeling her stomach twist with anxiety. She swallowed the jolt of excitement that had run through her, feeling the fatigue overtake her again. The redhead put a hand to her temple, feeling suddenly dizzy as her vision started to swim.

"Casey, are you alright?"

Alex reached out, placing her hands on the other woman's shoulders. Casey was hunched over, her face getting paler by the minute.

"I…" Casey blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to fix her blurry vision. She wanted to lay down, to close her eyes and just go to sleep, but she knew she couldn't. The doctors had told her to stay awake.

A sudden wave of nausea overcame the petite redhead and with the remaining bit of consciousness she had in her, she thrust her head over the side of the bed opposite to Alex, retching loudly as she emptied her lunch onto the floor. After that, Casey could feel her senses fading.

"Casey?!"

Her entire upper body slumped forward and it was only Alex's quick reflexes that saved Casey from falling headfirst from the hospital bed.

* * *

"Hey."

Alex flinched at the gentle pressure on her shoulder that roused her from a light sleep. Her glasses askew and her blonde tresses disheveled beyond belief, the blonde lawyer raised her head from her position at Casey's bedside. She had pulled up a chair to the side of the bed, ready to spend the night at her post, eager to be there when she woke up.

Unfortunately, as Alex adjusted her glasses and glanced frantically at Casey, there was no change in the redhead's position from a few hours ago when they wheeled her out of surgery. She was still fast sleep, the heart monitors beeping in response to Alex's apprehension.

"Alex."

Alex whipped around, realizing that it was someone else who had tried to get her attention.

"Olivia." The blonde lawyer couldn't hide her disappointment, unable to make herself care enough to put on airs.

"I'm sorry. I just brought you some things from your place before I locked up." Olivia handed Alex a large paper bag filled with what Alex assumed were spare clothes and some toiletries.

Mustering up the best smile she could, Alex nodded in acknowledgement, trying not to be the world's most ungrateful friend at the moment.

"Thanks, Liv."

There was a long pause between the two, the beeping of Casey's machinery filling the silence.

"How is she doing?"

"I-" Alex started, the anxiety apparent in her voice. "The doctors told me that the surgery went well. They stopped the bleeding...but they admitted to missing it on the initial imaging somehow…" The blonde trailed off, finding Casey's limp hand and giving it a squeeze to reassure herself.

"We'll find whoever did this, Alex."

Alex didn't reply, sceptical that solving the case would change anything at this point.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, hello to those of you who have come here from a story alert. I decided to stop this story 2 years ago due to a lack of motivation, but I might be picking this up again just to finish it off and to give myself some closure.

As always, thank you for reading and reviews/comments/etc are welcome!


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